Beyond One's Limit
by TheUchiha'sLegacy
Summary: As Ichigo prepares to face Aizen, Naruto is forced to betray his village and join the Espadas. Sasuke, after finding out the truth about Itachi, struggles to find the meaning of his existence. Can Naruto and Sasuke face the darkness in their hearts, or are they doomed to become mere shadows of who they once were?
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or Bleach, but Uchiha Pain is my own character.

A huge thanks to Hichiisai for helping me to make my story much better!

* * *

**_Prologue:_**

"_NOOO!" screamed Kabuto._

"_Ninpo: Four Violet Flames Battle Encampment Jutsu!"_

_Four transparent black walls rose up from the ground, trapping Kabuto inside of a black barrier. "Good!" said the Raikage, who was on the ground. He struggled to get up, blood trickling down his cheek. "You may be my enemy, but I'm impressed that you managed to damage me this much," he said as he stared hard at Kabuto. "Unfortunately for you, Kabuto, this ends now."_

_The Tsuchikage floated next to the Raikage. "That's right, Kabuto! The war ends today!"_

"_STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" Kabuto screamed, blood flying from his mouth. "I PROMISE YOU THAT YOU'LL ALL LIVE TO REGRET THIS! ONCE I GET OUT, I'LL M-!"_

_The Tsuchikage raised an eyebrow. "Once you get out? What do you mean, Kabuto?"_

_Kabuto's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"_

_Tsunade walked up to the barrier, facing Kabuto. "What we're talking about is that we're planning on sealing you."_

_Kabuto's eyes widened even more. "Y-You can't b-be serious!"_

"_Oh, but we are," said Tsunade. Three of the other four Kage's walked up to each of the remaining three walls. "Farewell, Kabuto."_

"_NOOO!" Kabuto screamed._

"_Release the barrier!" said Gaara._

"_Ninpo: Four Corner Light Sealing Jutsu!"_

_Kabuto swiftly performed a couple of hand signs as the flashing light blinded everyone in the area. As the four corners of the barrier closed in on Kabuto, he stared at them from the black darkness that enveloped him. "I'll be back one day, and once I come back, you'll all live to regret this…"_

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

_A few weeks earlier…_

(The Hokage's Office)

"The Land of Lightning?"

"That's right," said Tsunade. "You'll be heading out there in a couple of weeks, but until then, just keep low and DON'T cause any trouble. Understood?"

Naruto laughed out loud. "Me? Cause trouble? HAHAHAHA!"

Sakura put him in a headlock, choking him until he was blue in the face. "NARUTO!" she raged. "Listen to what Lady Tsunade is saying! This is important, you know!"

Naruto tried to speak. "Sa-Saku-chan. I-I c-can't bre-, S-Saku-chan!"

He tapped Sakura's arm until she released him. He rested his hands on his knees, gasping for air. "Understood?" repeated Tsunade.

Naruto gave her a thumbs up sign. "You g-got it, Granny!" gasped Naruto.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go to a meeting. Shizune!"

"Yes!" said Shizune, running after Tsunade as she walked out the door. "Tonton, let's go!"

"Oink!" sniffed Tonton as it trotted off after Shizune.

"The Old Toad Sage was right!" said Naruto. "I really _am_ going to a paradise island!"

He drooled as he imagined what it would be like. "I can't waittttt!"

Sakura sighed. "This isn't just a play-time for you, you know that, Naruto? Geez, the Akatsuki are after you! Take better care of yourself! They could be targeting you wherever you go!"

"I understand," said Naruto, giving her a huge smile. "Don't worry about it! I defeated the leader of the Akatsuki you know! I'm not so naive as to keep my guard down."

"I know," said Sakura. She turned around so that Naruto couldn't see the sad look in her eyes. _I may be rough on you at times, Naruto, but it's only because I worry about you…_

* * *

(Konoha's War Room)

"Let us begin the meeting," said Mifune as the Five Kage's all sat in their individual seats.

"I will speak first," said Gaara. "Hear me."

The Tsuchikage smirked at this. _Still as ill-mannered as always I see._

"I'll get straight to the point. My scouts, along with the scouts from Konoha and the Hidden Cloud Village, left over a week ago to tail Uchiha Madara and Yakushi Kabuto in order to gather more information on the Akatsuki. None of them returned alive."

Gaara paused for a brief second before continuing. "None of them returned alive," he repeated in order to emphasize the importance of that sentence. "Instead, they were hand-delivered to us by the Akatsuki themselves… in body bags."

Gaara glanced at the four other Kages before continuing. "The fact that the Akatsuki were confident enough to just walk right up to us was bad enough, but the fact that they _didn't_ take any action against us is what was most unnerving."

"I see," said Mifune, nodding as he understood the importance of Gaara's statement. "The fact that they didn't do anything means that they're so sure about this war that-."

"They don't even care that we're trying to plan counter-measures against them," finished Tsunade.

The Raikage tapped his fingers on the table as he listened to them talk. "So what you're saying, Kazekage, is that they think that they have something that they're sure can win them the war?"

Gaara nodded. "Exactly."

The Mizukage stared at the table. "Could it be the Bijuu's?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No. That was the bargaining chip that Madara tried to use in order to try and get us to hand over Naruto and Bee."

"So there's something else then…"

Gaara glanced at the other four Kages from the corners of his eyes before getting up from his seat. "We have a major threat that could cost us the war. We have no idea what it is; therefore, we can't counter it when the time comes… or at least, that's what I thought at first."

The other four Kages seemed to perk up when Gaara said this. "Explain yourself, Kazekage," said the Tsuchikage.

Gaara closed his eyes for a brief second before opening them again. "Hokage. Raikage. Tsuchikage. Mizukage. I think that it's time to proceed with the phase 'Operation Guardians.'"

Tsunade and the other three Kages all looked at each other for a minute before anyone said anything.

"I don't think that we have a choice at this point," said the Mizukage. "I agree with the Kazekage. What do you say, Hokage?"

Tsunade nodded. "I agree as well. Raikage? Tsuchikage?"

The Raikage mused over the suggestion for a couple of seconds before answering. "Very well then," he relented. "I have no objections if the Tsuchikage doesn't."

"I agree with the Kazekage," said the Tsuchikage.

Gaara nodded. "Then it's settled."

* * *

(The Akatsuki's Hideout)

Zetsu rose up from the ground. "Tobi…"

Madara turned his head slightly to the right, although because of his mask, it was impossible to tell what he was looking at. "Zetsu, huh? I trust that Kisame's mission was a success?"

"Of course," said White Zetsu, a hurt look on his face. "I did most of the work, by the way."

"Shut up," chided Black Zetsu. "All you did was get your head chopped off."

White Zetsu frowned slightly, bending his head slightly in disappointment. "No matter," said Madara. "Everything is in place for my plan, Tsuki No Me. Make sure that you keep an eye out on Kabuto. I don't trust him at all."

"_Got it_," sang White Zetsu.

"Understood," said Black Zetsu as they slowly descended into the ground.

"Sasuke, are you there?"

"Yea," said Sasuke, jumping down from the giant skeleton that he was sitting on. "What is it?"

"How are your eyes doing?" asked Madara, turning around to face Sasuke, whose eyes was still bandaged up.

"It doesn't hurt at all," Sasuke replied. He gently touched his bandages with the tip of his fingers. "I can feel Itachi's power flowing through me."

"Don't worry," said Madara. "You'll be able to take your bandages off in a couple of weeks, but for now, just be patient and stay put."

"I know. So, what are you gonna do about the Five Kage's?"

"…"

"I'm not stupid," said Sasuke, scoffing at Madara. "I know that there's a reason why you ordered me to attack the Five Kage's at the Five Kage's Summit."

"Don't worry about it," said Madara. "It's not of any importance to you as of now. Just rest up and focus on your fight with Naruto."

... "I know."

Madara slowly walked off towards the entrance of the cave. "Where are you going?" asked Sasuke.

"There's just a little matter that I need to attend to," said Madara.

He slowly walked inside the hideout and into the Akatsuki's war room. Kabuto, as well as Deidara, Sasori, Kakuzu, Kimimaro, and the rest of the Sound Four, were sitting around the table. "All of you, leave. There's something that I need to do."

Tayuya and Sakon scoffed. "Just who do you think you are?" said Tayuya. "Don't talk to us like you're all that just because you're the leader of the Akatsuki or whatever!"

Madara stared at her. Tayuya stepped back, a look of fear appearing in her eyes as she stared into his eyes. _What's with this guy? His eyes… They're so cold!_

"Leave now," said Madara calmly. This time, everyone left without saying anything. "I'll talk to you later, Madara," said Kabuto, briefly pausing before he passed Madara. "There's something that we need to discuss."

Madara smirked slightly from behind his mask. "Very well then."

When the last person stepped out of the room, Madara walked over to his seat and sat down on it. "Are you there?"

"What do you think," said a voice from the right corner of the room. "What is it?"

"I take it that your cover hasn't been blown yet?" asked Madara.

"Of course not," said the mysterious figure from behind the shadow.

"Good," said Madara. "That's very good. We'll proceed cautiously for now, but be prepared to send out the word to your men. The revolution could happen at any moment. Make sure that you're all prepared for that."

… "Understood."

* * *

**Well, thanks for reading my first chapter you guys! If you have any suggestions or complaints, then please PM me or leave a review! The prologue was just a part of a chapter from a later chapter, so don't worry about it if you're confused by it!**

**I realize that this chapter was kind of short, but I will be working on making them at least a little bit longer in the future! Also, I know that I haven't really introduced any of the Bleach character's in this chapter, but I will be introducing some of them in the next chapter! Thanks!**

**Ok, so I'm just going to spew a whole bunch of information/questions that you guys might have now or in the future about my story so that I can just get it over it haha.**

- **I realize that this chapter was sort of short, but the other chapters in the future (starting from chapter 3 or so) will be around 2,000 – 3,000 words, but a few chapters might be 3,000 – 4,000 words just because there's so much stuff I needed to put in it.**

- **Kabuto will be sealed off for a good part of my story.**

- **My story will mostly be following the Naruto Shippuden storyline, but it will also include some portions of the Bleach storyline as well.**

- **I MIGHT be considering making this into a Trilogy. It all depends on what I feel at the end of this story.**

- **If you have any other questions then please LEAVE A REVIEW. I usually don't check my PM's (I usually just check my story and then go do something else), so you might not get a quick response if you do end up PM'ing me.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Twelve Ninja Guardians

**Chapter 2: The Twelve Ninja Guardians**

(Ichiraku Ramen)

Naruto walked into Ichiraku Ramen, sitting himself down. "One extra-large Miso Pork Ramen Old Man!"

"You got it!" said Teuchi. "Ayame!"

"I got it!" said Ayame, hurrying over to the stove.

A few minutes later, Teuchi laid a huge bowl of Miso Pork Ramen in front of Naruto, who drooled from the smell of it. "Thank you for the food!" he said, pulling apart his chopsticks.

"Oy! Hey, Naruto!"

Naruto turned around with ramen still in his mouth to see Rock Lee and Kiba standing behind him. "Hrey ru gruys! Wrutsrup?"

"Mind if we eat with you too, Naruto-kun?" asked Lee. "We're pretty famished ourselves from working all day today!"

"Sure thing," said Naruto, slurping up the rest of the noodles that were hanging out of his mouth.

"So, how's it going?" asked Lee.

"Yea," said Kiba. "How's Mr. Hero doing so far? Is the whole celebrity thing too much for you, Mr. Hero?"

"Oh shut up, Kiba," said Naruto, comically frowning at him while eating ramen.

Kiba smiled sadly at the ramen. "You've really come a long way, haven't you?"

Naruto smiled sadly at his ramen also. "Yea, I guess so… We've all grown up so much, and we're still growing up."

Lee gave both of them a huge smile. "That's right, you guys! And we can only continue to get stronger!"

* * *

(Konoha's War Room)

"Have they all arrived?"

"Yes," said the Tsuchikage. "It seems as if the twelve have assembled."

"Then it's time," said Tsunade. She clapped once, the sound echoing throughout the room. "Everyone, please take your seats!"

Sakura, who was with Tsunade as her aide, studied every person as they filed into the room.

From Konoha, obviously, there was Kakashi and Shikamaru. Kakashi sat on the left side of the room, and Shikamaru seated himself next to him, his usual bored and lazy look on his face. Sakura noticed a large helmed figure, a dark-skinned man with goggles, and a brown-haired man with glasses nodding at the Tsuchikage as they seated themselves on the right side of the room. _Hidden Stone ninja's,_ Sakura silently said to herself.

There was a slim woman of average height that wore slightly exposing clothes, and behind her was a very strange looking man with a woman beside him that looked like his aide.

Then there was a short white-haired kid with an elegant sword strapped to his back that was with Ao, who was from the Hidden Mist Village. Darui, the Raikage's bodyguard, walked into the room, nodding at the Raikage who nodded back at him.

After a brief opening statement by Tsunade, Sakura found out that the large helmed figure was actually an anthropomorphic wolf that had been taken in by the Tsuchikage when he was just a little puppy. The dark-skinned man that was with him was Tosen, high-ranking Jonin who, to the surprise of Sakura as well as almost everyone else in the room, was blind. The brown-haired man with glasses was Sosuke Aizen, another high-ranking Jonin from the Hidden Stone Village.

From the Land of Lightning, there was Sui-Feng, the leader of the ANBU Black Op's from a small village known as the Hidden Stealth Village, who usually performed various tasks for the Hidden Cloud Village. There was also Kurotsuchi Mayuri, a scientist from the Hidden Herb Village in the Land of Wood. He was a strange scientist, with black face paint that covered most of his face, with thin white vertical lines on his face and a white nose. He wore a long, golden headdress which curved back to his mid back. Two opposite facing strands from the mask were underneath his chin.

From the Hidden Mist Village in the Land of Water, there was the 13-year-old child genius Hitsugaya Toshiro. He graduated from the academy at the age of 9, although he's never taken the Chunin Exam before. He has an IQ of over 150, and his other villages have often said that within five years or more, he would be able to surpass the Mizukage. He possessed two Kekkei Genkai's- Yuton, (Snow Release), and Hyoton, (Ice Release), as well as an extraordinary amount of chakra.

There was also Darui, who was from the Hidden Cloud Village from the Land of Lightning, as well as Ao, who was from the Hidden Mist Village in the Land of Water, and Temari, who was from the Hidden Sand Village in the Land of Wind.

"Just wait a second," said Shikamaru. "You said that there was supposed to be twelve of us in this group, but I only counted eleven members. Where is the other one?

"Ah, very sharp of you, Shikamaru," said Tsunade. "Of course you would be the first one to notice this."

"So where is he then?" asked Shikamaru.

Just as he finished his sentence, there was a knock of the door. "Ah, here they are," said the Mizukage. "Just right on time too."

* * *

(The Akatsuki's War Room)

"The meeting starts now."

Kabuto sat back in his chair and put his arms on the armrests, his giant white snake rising up from behind him and hissing. "So what's this about," said Deidara. "If I'm going to recreate my ultimate art, then I need to be out _there_, not in _here_!"

"Calm down, Deidara," said Kabuto. "I'm sure that Madara has a good reason for all of this."

Madara sat down in his seat and put his legs up on the table. "Here's what's going on. I sent Kisame over to the Land of Lightning in order to spy on the Allied Shinobi Forces. Currently, the Allied Shinobi Forces haven't discovered him yet, but they're still on guard, so be careful whenever you all go out. The Akatsuki still needs funds in order to complete our plan, so you all still need to go out and collect bounties, so don't be lazy. I convinced Kabuto to restrict his control on you all in order to recreate most of the Akatsuki, so don't take advantage of that."

"Understood," said Kakuzu. "You won't need to worry about that, except with maybe Deidara."

Deidara frowned comically at Kakuzu. "OY! HOW DARE YOU, KAKUZU! DON'T MESS WITH ME, OR I'LL FREAKEN BLOW YOU UP!"

Kakuzu scoffed at him. "Go ahead and try," he said. "We're already dead."

Deidara stared blankly at Kakuzu. "Oh yea," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I forgot."

"That's enough," said Madara. "The meeting is over. Everyone except Kabuto, leave the room and go do your own thing."

When the last person left the room, Madara turned to face Kabuto. "So, Kabuto," he said. "What did you want to talk about?"

Kabuto smirked at Madara. "Well, Madara, I just wanted to make sure that you'll keep your promise with me. Once you're sure that you'll win the war, you'll hand Sasuke over to me."

Madara narrowed his eyes. "Of course," he said. "I always keep my promises. Now, I have a favor to ask of you, Kabuto."

Kabuto narrowed his eyes also. "And that would be?"

"To reaffirm our partnership, I demand that you give me control of the former Akatsuki members. You can keep the members of the Sound Four or Five or whatever they're called."

Kabuto laughed out loud. "HAHAHAHA! Are you serious? And just why would I do something like that?"

Madara crossed his arms. "Well, for starters, you said that you were going to help strengthen the _Akatsuki._ You, Kabuto, aren't a part of the Akatsuki. As that may be, I'm not asking for total control of your Edo Tensei Army, Kabuto. I'm only asking for control over a couple members."

"Very well then," said Kabuto. "You made some very good points. I'll modify _most_ of the Akatsuki members to be under your control, Madara."

Madara narrowed his eyes. "Very well then," he said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some very important matters to attend to."

"Where are you going off to?" asked Kabuto as he watched Madara slowly walk through the wall. He stopped halfway for a brief second before continuing all the way through. His voice softly echoed throughout the room before fading away slowly. "It's time to prepare for war."

* * *

(The Hidden Rain Village)

Madara materialized behind Konan, who was standing out in the rain. She slowly turned her head to the right to face him. "I knew that you'd come," she said. With that, she separated into thousands of pieces of paper, flying towards the entrance of the Hidden Rain Village, joining together to take her original form once more. Madara dematerialized and materialized back in front of Konan. "Before I kill you, let me just ask you this one thing," said Madara. "Why would such loyal members as the two of you betray me? You two even approved of my Tsuki No Me Plan."

"Don't worry about that," said Konan. "Whatever we did was for our own reasons."

Madara looked down and looked back up at her, nodding. "Very well then," he said. "Tell me where Nagato's Rinnegan is."

"Nagato's Rinnegan is the precious memento of our village!" said Konan, her eyes flaring in anger. "You have no right to take it!"

Madara rolled his neck, a Chakra Disruption Blade slowly sliding down from beneath his right sleeve. "Very well then," he said. "I'll have to take it by force then I see."

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Madara stood over the slowly dying Konan's body. "Such a shame that you chose to defy me," he said softly. "Now you're dead."

He dematerialized and left for the secret resting spot of Nagato and Yahiko. Konan looked up at the sky, her vision becoming blurrier and blurrier with each passing second. "Nagato… Jiraya-sensei…"

As she closed her eyes, finally at peace, a rotating spiral appeared in the air. Konan slowly opened her eyes. "I-Is that… Who is that…?"

"Konan-sensei…"

* * *

The door slowly creaked open, revealing six figures that slowly walked into the room. "May I introduce the members of the Zero Squad, as well as the Captain of the Twelve Ninja Guardians," said the Tsuchikage. "Ichimaru Gin, Zaraki Kenpachi, Shihoin Yoruichi, Kurosaki Ichigo, Pain, and Kuchiki Byakuya."

* * *

**I'm really sorry for the super long introductions, but I thought that it would be smart to describe everyone, as some of the readers might not have really watched Bleach before (and yes, I know that this is a NarutoxBleach story).**

**Although I'm not going to be including every main character in my story, if you have any requests for any characters from Naruto or Bleach, then please PM me or leave reviews for requests!**

**For the Kekkei Genkai Yuton (Snow Release), I wasn't sure if that was exactly right, but if anyone knows what the exact word for it is exactly, then please let me know through a PM or a review! Thanks!**

**Important Information:**

* * *

**The line above will signify that we're going to a different place/scene. I will also be using this is signify that we're skipping over to a week or two later (I will be showing that through something like, _one week later_, or something like that. Also, whenever I'm writing about a fight and there's bystanders or it's focusing on just one person in particular, I will be using that line to signify that we're going to a different person's "perspective," or something like that. If you have any questions, then just leave a review or PM me! I understand that it can get a little bit confusing.**


	3. Chapter 3: The Lost Uchiha - Uchiha Pain

Man, I love my character Uchiha Pain, haha. Sorry, I just had it put it out there lol :P Well, I hope that you guys are having a great day, and enjoy reading my chapter!

**Chapter 3: The Lost Uchiha - Uchiha Pain**

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. _Pain?_

The Tsuchikage gestured to the six figures that had entered the room. "The members of the Twelve Ninja Guardians, this is your Captain, Kuchiki Byakuya, the 15th head of the Kuchiki Clan back in the Land of Lightning."

Kuchiki Byakuya, who could be considered a very attractive male, wore a sleek white uniform with a hood on the back, which was unlike anything that anyone had ever seen before. He also wore a silver silk scarf around his neck, which hung on the right side of his chest. He had a long sword strapped to his left side, which rested in a black scabbard that was decorated with golden designs.

Tosen raised his hand. "Excuse me, Tsuchikage-sama, but why exactly do we need a Captain?"

"That's a very good question," said the Tsuchikage. "There's no doubt that you all are very strong, but we decided to choose one of the members who _would_ have been on the Zero Squad and make him the Captain of the Twelve Ninja Guardians."

"I see," said Tosen. "Very well then. I apologize for the interruption, Tsuchikage-sama."

"It's no problem at all," said the Tsuchikage. "Anyways, from the Land of Swords, Zaraki Kenpachi, who is known as the self-proclaimed leader of the recently liberated country."

Zaraki Kenpachi was a very tall and very muscular guy with scars all over him body. He had very long hair which went all the way back past his back. He wore a tattered sleeveless white uniform with a long and worn-out sword on his back. He wore a black eye-patch with a chain on his right eye.

The Raikage narrowed his eyes when he heard his name. "Kenpachi?"

Gaara turned his head slightly to the right to look at the Raikage. "What about him? Is Kenpachi supposed to mean something?"

"Kenpachi is the title given to the strongest Shinobi of their time. It's the title that's given to the one who's killed the most enemies and been in the most battles. It means that no matter how much times he's cut down, he'll never die."

Gaara's eyes widened in surprise. "So he's really strong?"

The Raikage snorted. "Really strong? That doesn't even _begin_ to describe his strength. My dad, the Third Raikage, fought against _his_ dad," he said, pointing at Kenpachi. "When we finally got there, they were both on the ground, almost dead."

Tsunade looked at the Raikage. "Are you serious? How come I've never heard of this before?"

"This was kept secret by the higher-ups," said the Raikage. "The Raikage, who was able to fight par-on-par with the Eight-Tails, was almost defeated by a nobody from a liberated country. Imagine what would happen if the other countries heard about it!"

Tsunade closed her eyes and nodded. "You're right," she said.

The Tsuchikage coughed, clearing his throat. "Anyways, as I was saying," he said, gesturing to the next person, who was an attractive and busty slightly dark-skinned female. "This is Shihoin Yoruichi, the leader of the Hidden Stealth Village."

Kankuro whistled his eyes wide with surprise. "That village sure has some good looking girls," he said, earning an elbow from Temari.

"This person," said the Tsuchikage, gesturing to the person next to Kenpachi, "is Ichimaru Gin, my right-hand man."

As everyone looked at Ichimaru Gin, Sakura felt a shiver run up her spine as she looked at Gin's strange features. He had unusual medium-length silver hair, his bangs hanging past his eyes. His eyes were just long slits, and he had the most unusual and strange smile. He had a very thin and wiry body, with a short and thin-bladed sword strapped to his left side. _How scary,_ thought Sakura. _He reminds me of snakes, and for some reason, I just really have a bad feeling about this guy…_

The Tsuchikage gestured to the last person who was standing next to Gin. "This is the leader of the Zero Squad, Pain, and his right-hand man, Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Pain?"

Sakura looked at Tsunade. "Tsunade-sama, could he be con-?"

Tsunade put a finger against her lips. "I know, Sakura. Let's talk about this some other time."

Sakura looked down at the floor and narrowed her eyes. "Yes, Tsunade-sama."

Pain was a fairly tall and well-built but sleek guy with long black hair done in the same style as Uchiha Madara or Namikaze Minato. He wore a long black cloak which seemed similar to the one that the Akatsuki member's wore, and he also wore black gloves, his outfit completed by an ANBU Black Op's mask.

Kurosaki Ichigo was a very tall, medium-length dark-orange haired guy. His long hair ran down to his neck, while his long bangs hung past his eyes. He wore a long black cloak-like outfit with ripped sleeves. He had a long chain that spiraled from his shoulder down past his right arm to meet up with his black glove. He wore a long, black, wide-bladed sword on his back.

_He reminds me of someone,_ said Kakashi in his head. _Just who was it…?_

"Now," said Gaara. "Let's continue with our meeting."

Byakuya stepped forward. "It is my duty as a Captain to choose a Lieutenant. Hatake Kakashi," he said, looking at Kakashi. "It would be an honor for you to be my lieutenant."

Kakashi bent his head slightly in respect. "I accept the position."

Byakuya closed his eyes and smiled slightly. "Then it's settled."

"We want the members of the Zero Squad, as well as Byakuya and Kakashi, to meet us Kage's at Hokage-sama's office after the meeting," said the Raikage.

"Yes sir," said Byakuya.

* * *

(The Hokage's Office)

"You wanted to see us sir?" said Byakuya.

"Yes," said the Raikage.

"So what is it?" asked Tsunade, leaning forward in her chair. She folded her hands and rested her chin against it. "Why did you call us here?"

The Raikage sighed and rested his forehead against his folded hands. "I-… I mean, _we,_ as in the Land of Lightning, have a confession to make."

The Mizukage looked confused. "A confession. Whatever do you mean, Raikage?"

The Raikage signaled to Pain to take off his mask. He slowly reached for his mask and slowly took it off. As his mask slowly fell away from his face, everyone in the room stared at him in shock. Pain was a very good looking male with a serious look in his eyes. Kakashi's eyes widened in shock. _His eyes! T-They're… I-I can't b-believe it! He has the __**Sharingan**__! He's an Uchiha?!_

Sakura stared at him in shock, her jaws dropped in shook. _No wonder why he seemed so familiar! He's an __**Uchiha**__! Just like Sasuke-kun!_

Sakura stepped forward. "Do you know Sasuke-kun?! Do you know if he's ok?"

Kakashi stepped forward and grabbed Sakura's shoulder. "Sakura! Just because he's an Uchiha doesn't mean that he knows about Sasuke!"

"Oh," said Pain softly. "Uchiha… Sasuke…? Yea, I know him alright."

Pain had a voice similar to that of the Deva Path of the Six Paths of Pain, but much, _much_, more sinister. Sakura shook Kakashi's hand off and ran up to Pain. "So you _do_ know about Sasuke-kun! Where is he?!" she said, a desperate tone creeping into her voice. "Well, answer me!" she said, grabbing the collar of Pain's coat. She pinned him against the wall. "Well?!"

Pain stared at her blankly. "Well what?" he said, slowly reaching for her hand. He grabbed her right hand and slowly twisted it. Sakura grimaced, trying not to yell out from the pain. _He's strong,_ she thought to herself. She finally relented and released him. "You don't understand," said Pain. "I have no idea who Sasuke-kun is. All I know is that he was the only member of the Uchiha clan to survive the Uchiha Clan Massacre."

"Sakura! Control yourself before I have you removed from this room!" said Tsunade, a serious look on her face.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," said Sakura, bowing her head in shame. She backed away from Pain, resuming her original place besides Kakashi.

"How did you come to acquire an Uchiha?" asked the Tsuchikage.

The Raikage growled. "First of all, Pain is _not_ a tool, and secondly, that's what I wanted to tell you all."

He turned to Pain. "If you want you want, you may leave, Pain. You're not required to stay for this."

Pain nodded and left the room, the door closing shut behind him.

The Raikage turned to everyone in the room. "You see," he started. "A couple of years ago- well, actually, approximetly 21 years ago, during the battle between the Hidden Leaf Village and the Hidden Cloud Village, one of the members of the Uchiha Clan decided to stay here with his lover. They asked the Third Raikage for approval, and my dad accepted them into his village. They lived in the Hidden Cloud Village for a few years, and approximately 20 years ago, Pain was born. We quickly found out that he was an exceptionally talented Shinobi, even for an Uchiha. He possessed amazing chakra and vitality, and he was quickly labeled as the genius of his generation. He graduated from the academy at the age of 9, and he became a Chunin at the age of 12. He became a Jonin at the age of 15, and then he left village for two years in order to train and become stronger. When he came back, he had grown _tremendously_, and in just a couple of months, he became the leader of the ANBU Black Op's."

"Oh, Pain's much stronger than Raikage-sama described him as," said Yoruichi, a proud and infatuated look in her eyes. "He's even stronger than that Uchiha Itachi."

Kakashi and Sakura's eyes widened in shock. "Stronger than Itachi?" whispered Sakura. "That's impossible!"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. _She wasn't kidding around when she said that. She was 100% serious. Just how strong is this Pain?_

"Well, that's enough of that for now," said the Raikage. He turned to looked at the other four Kage's. "Shall we?"

They all nodded simultaneously.

The Raikage turned to Yoruichi. "Go and get Pain."

Pain and Yoruichi entered the room a moment later.

"Now," said the Raikage. "Kenpachi. Yoruichi. Gin. Pain. Ichigo. You five will be escorting Uzumaki Naruto to the hidden island that's located in the Land of Lightning in approximately a week from now. Until then, you are to prepare for your journey. Just get to know the other people and ninja's in this village. You'll be fighting alongside them in the war anyways soon enough."

"Understood, _Raikage-san_," said Gin.

* * *

(Konoha)

"Hey, Pain!"

Pain turned around to see Sakura running after him. "What is it," he said. Sakura noticed that he had his mask on again. Sakura stared down at the ground, folding her hands together. "I'm sorry about earlier," she said, blushing slightly. "I-… I was just so worried about Sasuke-kun…"

"Don't worry about it," said Pain emotionlessly. He turned back around and disappeared into thin air. "He's fast!" said Sakura, her eyes widening in surprise. "I didn't even have a chance to blink!"

"He's handsome, isn't he?" said a voice from behind her. Sakura turned around to find Yoruichi standing behind her, arms crossed. "I've known him since I was five."

"Really?"

"Yea," said Yoruichi. "He was such a cute kid back then. He always had the biggest smile."

"Just what happened to him?" asked Sakura, a sad look in her eyes. "I know that I _just_ met him, but I can't help but feel that something tragic happened to him."

Yoruichi looked down, a look of pity in her eyes so pure that Sakura stepped back in shock. "Y-Yoruichi-san?"

"It's nothing," she said. "Don't worry about it."

And with that, she slowly walked away towards Sui-Feng, who was sitting down on a bench, looking over some scrolls. Sakura sighed and walked towards the direction of her home.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura turned around to see Naruto running up to her. "Naruto!" she cried, waving her hands at him.

"Where are you going, Sakura-chan?" asked Naruto.

"Oh… Well, you know… Just around," said Sakura.

"How about you and me grab some ramen at Ichiraku Ramen?" he said excitedly, motioning eating ramen with his hands.

"Alright!" she said, folding her hands behind her back and bending forward. "But you're paying, Naruto!"

"ALRIGHT!" yelled Naruto, jumping up with his fist in the air. "YES YES YES YES YES!"

Approximetly 100 feet from where Naruto and Sakura were, Pain observed their movements, perched on a tree, his back against the trunk of the tree. _So that's the Hero of the Hidden Leaf…_

He watched as Naruto and Sakura walked towards Ichiraku Ramen together, talking and laughing together, side by side.

_Uzumaki Naruto… There's a trial coming, and once it comes, you're going to wonder how you ever lived so large and so free without taking into consideration the daily and unquenchable agony that we human beings have to endure each and every day of our lives…_


	4. Chapter 4: The Zero Squad

**Chapter 4: The Zero Squad**

(Konoha's War Room)

Kuchiki Byakuya, Hatake Kakashi, and the rest of the members of the Twelve Ninja Guardians were in one of their weekly meetings. "I have a question, Captain Kuchiki," said Kakashi after the meeting.

"What is it?" said Byakuya as he collected the scrolls with the intel on the Akatsuki.

"I'm afraid that I don't quite understand what the Zero Squad is for," said Kakashi. "Wouldn't it just have been better for them to just have joined up with us?"

"You're not thinking, Kakashi," said Byakuya. "Let me try to explain it as clearly as possible. The Five Kage's are here to establish order and leadership- correct?"

Kakashi nodded. "That's right."

"What do you think that the Twelve Ninja Guardians for?" asked Byakuya.

"Well, we're some of the best Shinobi's out there, so the Twelve Ninja Guardians was formed in order to fight against the Akatsuki," replied Kakashi.

"That's correct," said Byakuya. "Now, tell me this, Kakashi. You've fought against most of the Akatsuki members, correct?"

"Yes," said Kakashi.

"And just how strong were they?" asked Byakuya.

Kakashi thought back to when he fought Deidara. _"Behold my ultimate art!" cried Deidara as he sent a speeding four-winged bird after Kakashi. "Katsu!"_

_Kakashi pushed himself backwards off a log and guarded his face and body with his arms while putting his knees up. He quickly performed the necessary hand seals for the Shadow Clone Jutsu while jumping underneath a log, staying underneath there, his feet attached to the bottom of the log, while his Shadow Clone sped out from underneath the log in his place. Ten seconds later, he heard an explosion around a hundred feet away from him. "Whew," he said to himself. "That was a close one."_

_Then there was Kakuzu,_ he said to himself in his head as he thought back to the time when he fought against Hidan and Kakuzu.

"_Fuuton: Bleeding Force!"_

"_Oh no!" said Kakashi._

"_HAHAHAHA!" screamed Hidan. "Die, ******!"_

_(Next Scene)_

"_I'm impressed," said Hidan. Kakashi looked up at him in surprise. "You're the first one to have ever survived that combo, Ha-ta-ke, Ka-ka-shi," he finished, dragging out the last part of the sentence._

"_His Sharingan saved him," said Kakuzu. "But can he keep it up?"_

_He quickly performed a couple of hand seals. The fire creature's mouth next to him snapped open. Kakashi's eyes widened in shock. "He can use Katon jutsu's too?!" said Kakashi._

"_Katon: Cranium Carver!"_

_A huge fireball erupted from the fire creature's mouth, quickly expanding to engulf most of the entire area with intense flames. Ino screamed as they quickly sped away in order to escape the intense heat._

"They were unbelievably strong," said Kakashi, coming back to the present.

"Exactly," said Byakuya. "And if the members of the Akatsuki were that strong, then just how much stronger do you think that their _leader_ will be? Also, the Akatsuki members are now immortal because of Edo Tensei, and if they were that strong while they were _alive,_ then just how much stronger do you think they will be when they're _immortal_?"

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock. "I see," he said. "I never thought of it that way. Thank you, Kuchiki-taichou."

"Well then," said Byakuya. "If you're done, then please leave. I have a lot of work to do."

"Yes sir," said Kakashi, bowing his head slightly in respect before turning around and leaving the room.

* * *

(Outside the Border of Konoha)

"You're late."

"Forgive me, Pain-sama. The "training" took a little longer than I thought."

Pain turned around, his arms crossed, to face a figure hidden by the shadows of the trees. "I need you to contact everyone."

"So we're going ahead with the plan?"

"No," said Pain, looking down at the ground. "We're proceeding with Phase A of our plan."

The figure nodded. "Understood."

Pain looked up. The figure was gone.

* * *

(Konoha)

Naruto and Sakura walked over to where Kakashi and Shikamaru was at. "Oy! Kakashi-sensei!" yelled Naruto.

"Well, if it isn't Naruto," said Shikamaru. "Watsup?"

"What are you two talking about?" asked Sakura.

"Oh," said Kakashi. He held up the scrolls that he had in his hands. "We were just looking at the information on the rest of the members of the Twelve Ninja Guardians."

"I see," said Sakura. "So, what did you guys find out about them?"

"Well," said Shikamaru, looking at the scrolls that he had in his hand. "According to these scrolls… Well, hmmm… Let's see here… Alright, here we go! Kaname Tosen. It seems that he mainly uses Ninjutsu and Taijutsu combinations in order to overwhelm his opponents, striking them down afterwards. He is also very skilled in Genjutsu. Let's see who's next… Sajin Komamura. It seems that his Ninjutsu and Genjutsu skills are horrible, although I don't blame him for that. I can't see a dog being an expert in Ninjutsu."

"Huh?" said Naruto as he looked at Sakura. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Forget about it, Naruto. You wouldn't understand it anyways."

"It seems that he's fairly skilled in Taijutsu though," said Shikamaru. "Sui-Feng is skilled in both Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, although she mainly uses Taijutsu. Kurotsuchi Mayuri… It seems that not much is known about him. As for Hitsugaya Toshiro, it seems that he's particularly skilled in Ninjutsu, although he's pretty skilled in Taijutsu and Genjutsu as well."

"Wow," said Naruto. "So much skilled people!"

Shikamaru smiled at him. "Yea they are, but I bet that none of them ever defeated the leader of the Akatsuki before, Naruto."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, his face turning red in embarrassment. "Ehhh… It was no big deal. He was only at like 60% power anyways. If he had been at full power, then I might not have been able to defeat him."

Kakashi's eyes softened as he looked at Naruto. _I know that you would have been able to defeat him, Naruto. It wouldn't have surprised me one bit. You've grown tremendously strong, Naruto. Now you're even stronger than any of the Five Kage's!_

Meanwhile, a hundred feet or so away from where the four of them were at, two tall figures studied the four through narrowed eyes, although you couldn't see what was going on behind the mask of one of them.

"So that's Uzumaki Naruto, huh?"

"Yea…"

"What do you think of him, Pain?" the left figure asked him, turning his head to look at him.

"He's definitely not what I expected a Jinchuuriki to be. His behavior is the complete opposite of what other people would've expected it to be."

"Pathetic…"

"Don't underestimate him, Kurosaki," said Pain.

"I'm not," said Ichigo. "He defeated the leader of the Akatsuki, the undefeated Pa-."

Ichigo stopped as he felt a tremor in the air. _Was that… Pain's… chakra?_

"_Don't_ talk about him, Kurosaki," said Pain, his voice full of menace.

"My bad," said Ichigo. He turned his head back to face Naruto and the other three. "Anyways, you should really watch your tone around me, Pain. You know that I'm stronger than you."

Pain quietly laughed. "Oh, sure. We've never full on fought before, have we, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo looked at Pain, a suspicious look in his eyes. "What do you mean, Pain?"

"If we fought, who do you think would win?" asked Pain.

Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise. "I-I don't really know…"

Pain grinned from under his mask. "Well, let's hope that we never have to find out."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "Yea… Let's hope."

* * *

(A Neutral Area Outside the Border of Konoha)

A huge tremor shook the area outside of the border of Konoha. "How boring."

"Ken-chan!"

Kenpachi turned his head to the right to see a very small, shoulder-length, pink-haired hair girl turning towards him. She jumped in the air as to give him a hug, and then she suddenly seemed to teleport and appear on the ground, head-butting Kenpachi in the stomach. The force of the blow caused Kenpachi's body to slightly shake, but Kenpachi didn't even flinch at the least. "Owww!" said Yachiru, rubbing her head while moaning in pain. She was on the ground, her legs crossed. "Ken-chan, you meanie!"

"Oy, Yachiru!" said Kenpachi. "Why don't you go and play somewhere else. I'm trying to cut loose over here!"

"Wow!" said Yachiru as she looked around the area. The whole entire area, which had just been a small forest a couple of minutes ago, had been reduced to a wasteland. "Are you sure that you're not going to get in trouble for this, Ken-chan?"

"This is a neutral area," said Kenpachi. "That's why I came over here. Anyways, I doubt that anyone would try to punish _me,_ but if anyone does, then I hope that it's that Pain or Ichigo. I'd _love_ to get a chance to fight one of them, or even both of them at once."

* * *

(Konoha)

"I don't like him," said Tosen.

"Now now now, Tosen-san," said Gin, turning to look at Tosen. "That's not a nice thing to say to our beloved teammate, is it?"

"I may not be able to see him, but there's just something about him," said Tosen. "Just something about him that makes my blood run cold."

"Oh, he's definitely freaky looking alright," said Gin, his seemingly-permanent grin growing even longer. "Kurotsuchi Mayuri-san… What an interesting guy."

Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi Mayuri and his artificial daughter, Nemu, were completely aware of Gin of Tosen watching them. Nemu was a fairly busty and attractive female with long, purple hair that was braided back into a ponytail. Her bang hung in frames over her eyebrows. "How annoying!" said Kurotsuchi. "If they keep on pissing me off, then I might just capture them and use them for my experiments!"

"Yes, Mayuri-sama," said Nemu.

A spiky, white-haired kid walked past Mayuri and Nemu, his hands in his pockets. _What a bunch of idiots,_ he said to himself in his head. _Fighting and killing… It's all pointless._

"Oy, white-haired kid!"

Hitsugaya turned his head to the left to see Naruto waving at him. _Is that… Uzumaki Naruto?_

He walked over to where the four were hanging out. "You're… Uzumaki Naruto, right? The guy who took down the leader of the Akatsuki?"

"Uh… Yea, why yes, I am!" said Naruto, laughing out loud. "Why? Do you want an autograph from me?"

"Uh… You're the one that invited me here, Uzumaki Naruto-san," said Hitsugaya.

A comical look of surprise appeared on Naruto's face. "Oh yea," he said, blushing from embarrassment.

"Geez!" said Sakura, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Well, anyways," said Naruto. "You're pretty young, white-haired kid. What's your name?"

"Hitsugaya… Toshiro…"

"Well, Hitsugaya," said Naruto, stretching out his hand. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"And I'm Haruno Sakura," said Sakura.

"Hatake Kakashi," said Kakashi, giving him a "peace" sign.

"Nara Shikamaru," said Shikamaru, nodding his head at Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya took Naruto's hand and shook it. "It's nice to meet you all."

"So, Hitsugaya," said Naruto. "How old are you?"

"Hitsugaya is 13 years old, and he's from the Hidden Mist Village," said Sakura, answering Naruto's question for Hitsugaya.

Naruto's jaw dropped, a comical look of shock appearing on his face. "NO WAY! YOU'RE ONLY FREAKEN 13 YEARS OLD?!"

"Yea," said Hitsugaya, a bored look on his face. "Anyways, see you guys later."

Naruto and the others watched as Hitsugaya walked away. "So that's the child prodigy of the Hidden Mist Village, huh?" said Kakashi.

"Yea," said Naruto as he looked down at the ground. "Just like Sasuke was the child prodigy of the Hidden Leaf Village."

Sakura looked down at the ground, a sad look in her eyes. "Yea… Just like Sasuke."

Shikamaru sighed. _That words like a taboo to those two…_

* * *

(Outside the Border of Konoha)

Pain and Ichigo walked alongside each other in the forest outside the border of Konoha. They were approximetly 5,000 feet away from the area that Kenpachi and Yachiru were in. "Oy, Pain! Ichigo!"

Pain and Ichigo turned around to find Yoruichi standing on a large branch on a tree. "Yoruichi, huh?" said Pain emotionlessly. He turned around and resumed walking. Ichigo just shrugged and followed him.

Yoruichi stared at Pain with a sad look in her eyes. _Pain…_

Pain suddenly stopped in his tracks, Ichigo stopping right next to him. Yoruichi narrowed her eyes. _Something's wrong…_

"Kurosaki," said Pain.

"Yea," said Ichigo, nodding slightly. "I know."

Five seconds later, Yoruichi heard a slight noise coming from the left side of the forest, growing louder and louder as it seemed to get closer and closer to where Pain and Ichigo was standing. "Now!" said Pain.

The noise, which was ten blades of wind, came flying towards Pain and Ichigo, cutting down the trees in their way as if they were tiny twigs instead of full-grown trees. Pain and Ichigo both seemed to disappear as they both used the Body Flicker Jutsu in order to dodge the attack, both appearing on either side of Yoruichi. "What was that?" asked Yoruichi, looking at both Pain and Ichigo.

"I don't know," said Ichigo.

Pain slowly took off his mask until he revealed his eyes. _Sharingan!_ His eyes suddenly turned red as three tomoe's slowly appeared around his pupil's, spinning faster and faster until all three tomoe's fully appeared. _I see,_ said Pain to himself in his head. He straightened up and snapped his fingers at the direction of where the attack came from. The noise echoed throughout the forest. Pain and the others heard the slight noise of someone walking, the noise growing louder and louder. As the mysterious assailant got closer and closer to where Pain and the others were, his shadow stretched out over the forest floor, giving Pain and the others a clear shape of what the mysterious assailant looked like. Yoruichi's eyes widened in surprise as she began to figure out who the mysterious figure was. "Is that…" she whispered, a look of shock appearing on her face.

As the mysterious figure came out of the shadows and out into the open, Pain narrowed his eyes, a look of pure menace appearing in his eyes.

"Shimura… Danzo...!"

* * *

**Bleach characters that probably WON'T be making an appearing in my story:**

**- Renji Abarai.**

**- Uryu Ishida.**

**- Most of the other Bleach characters except for the ones that have already made an appearance in my story.**

**Just for my story:**

**- Flickered means that they're going at a speed or 4 or so.**

**- Teleported means that they're going at a speed of 4.5 or so.**

**- Disappeared and/or vanished means that they're going at a speed of 4.5 – 5, (depending on the speed of the user observing/fighting the other person.**

**I'm not really sure how else to describe someone going fast, so if anyone else knows, then please let me know through a PM or a review! Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5: Ichigo vs Danzo

This is the first fight in my story, so please go easy on the reviews, lol! Also, in case you guys were wondering- yes, Ichigo is pretty strong in my story. He doesn't start out all weak and then become super strong later on. Anyways, enjoy chapter 5!

**Chapter 5: Ichigo vs Danzo**

"Shimura… Danzo…"

Ichigo looked at Pain. "Shimura Danzo? Who's that?"

"He was one of Konoha's top Shinobi," answered Pain. "And the man that tainted the name of the Uchiha's." He narrowed his eyes even more, the menace in his eyes growing with each passing second.

* * *

(The Akatsuki's Hideout)

Kabuto grinned from his hiding place. "I think that it's time to let Danzo cut loose," he said, his grin growing even larger.

* * *

(Outside the Border of Konoha)

"Where am I?" said Danzo, looking around his surroundings. His sclerae turned from black to grey, signaling that Kabuto had released his control over him.

"Danzo…"

Danzo's eyes widened in surprise. _The Sharingan! An Uchiha? Impossible! That's definitely not Uchiha Sasuke, and he doesn't look like Uchiha Madara. Just who is he?_

"Danzo," said Pain slowly. "Making trouble even when you're dead, huh, Danzo?"

"Just who are you?" asked Danzo, staring up at Pain.

"Uchiha… Pain…" answered Pain.

"Uchiha… Pain…?" repeated Danzo. "I've never heard of you before!"

"That's enough of that," said Ichigo. "I'll take care of this guy for you, Pain. He's not worth getting your hands dirty over."

"Very well then," said Pain, putting his mask back on. He crossed his arms, staring at Danzo from behind his mask. "Take him out, then."

"He's as good as dead," said Ichigo.

"He's _already_ dead," said Pain.

Ichigo stared at him, a look of shock appearing on his face. "What do you mean, he's _already_ dead?"

"Look at him," said Pain. "Look at his eyes. He's obviously been revived by the Edo Tensei Jutsu."

"The Edo Tensei Jutsu?" said Danzo, looking at his hands. "Dammit! It seems that Kabuto has been far busier than I thought."

"You shouldn't be worrying about your hands," said a voice next to him.

Danzo flinched, stepping backwards as he turned around to see where that voice came from. "I'm over here," said Ichigo. "Too slow old man."

Ichigo teleported from Danzo's side, appearing in front of him. He drew back his fist, a bored look in his eyes.

THUD! Danzo went flying as Ichigo's fist connected with Danzo's face. Danzo flew back over 100 meters, crashing through rocks and trees until he finally crashed into the side of a cliff. The cliff shook and trembled from the force of the impact. Danzo's face was already almost completely destroyed from the force of Ichigo's punch, but his body was almost completely destroyed as well because of all the rocks and trees that it crashed through.

Yoruichi whistled in amazement. "You've gotten even stronger I see, Ichigo," she said.

Ichigo stared at the ground. "Yea, I guess so. Sparring at the Lightning Temple really has its benefits."

Two minutes later, Danzo's body had completely regenerated. "That was a strong punch," said Danzo to himself. "If that had been me when I was alive, then I would have probably been killed even before I stopped crashing."

When Danzo finally arrived back to where Pain and the others were, Ichigo was waiting for him, a bored but serious look on his face.

"It's time to end this," said Danzo. "I'm sorry, but I can't control my movements. I've been programmed to counter against all attacks. Fuuton: Vacuum Serial Waves!"

Danzo took a deep breath and exhaled several blades of wind, moving his head in different directions. Ichigo closed his eyes and opened them right before the jutsu made contact. There was a huge explosion as Danzo's jutsu made contact with Ichigo, causing Danzo and Yoruichi to cover their faces with their arms in order to block the wind and the small pieces of wood and rocks that were flying all over the place in different directions. The whole air was filled with dust, and Danzo tried to peer through the smoke, attempting to see the aftermath of his attack.

Ichigo was standing there, in the exact same position that he was in just before the attack. He hadn't moved an inch, and all he did was brush the dust off of his outfit. Danzo's eyes widened in shock. "No way!" he said. "That's impossible! That was one of my most powerful Fuuton jutsu's! How can you not even have a scratch on you?!"

Ichigo yawned. "It's because your jutsu was weak, old man," said Ichigo. He suddenly disappeared, reappearing right in front of Danzo.

As Ichigo swung his fist at him for a right cross, Danzo quickly ducked and pulled out a kunai from his robe, stabbing Ichigo in the stomach with it. The tip of the kunai broke, and Danzo quickly retreat using the Body Flicker Jutsu before Ichigo could react, landing on a tree branch.

"He's quick," said Ichigo.

Danzo took a deep breath. "Fuuton: Vacuum Bullets!"

As Danzo exhaled, multiple bullets made of air shot out from his mouth and sped towards Ichigo. "Pathetic," said Ichigo as he lazily swung his hand to deflect the bullets of air. He suddenly disappeared, a wisp of smoke taking his place as he quickly teleported to where Danzo was standing. Ichigo appeared behind him, kicking him in the back. Danzo suddenly turned into a puff of smoke.

"A Shadow Clone," said Ichigo. He looked to the right from the corner his eyes, quickly flipping over so that he was performing a handstand on the tree branch. He quickly pushed himself off before a very thin blade of air could make contact. Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he sailed through the air. _That's really thin,_ he said to himself. _It must mean that he condensed an entire jutsu into that small blade of air so that the cutting power could be enhanced to the max._

Ichigo sighed. "It's time to end this."

Ichigo landed on the side of a tree and pushed himself off with his legs, suddenly vanishing into thin air. He then suddenly appeared in front of Danzo, who ducked and pushed himself backwards with his legs. Danzo quickly performed a couple of hand signs, taking a deep breath. "You're too predictable!" he said.

"Not quite," said Ichigo. He suddenly seemed to flicker to Danzo's side, who turned his head to look at him, a surprised look on his face.

"Gotcha," said Ichigo, who flickered back to his original place in front of Danzo. He drew his fist back and grinned. "This time, I'm going all out. You won't recover from this one, old man."

THUD! This time, Danzo flew back over 200 meters, crashing through rocks and trees and even a cliff. The only reason that he stopped was because there was nothing left of him to crash through anything else.

Pain teleported from Yoruichi's side to where Danzo's body was slowly regenerating. "Oh no you don't, Danzo," said Pain, who slowly took off his mask.

Ten seconds later, he reappeared at Yoruichi's side. "Where did you go?" asked Yoruichi.

"Nowhere," said Pain. "I just went to take care of Danzo, that's all."

"That was easier than I thought," said Ichigo. "If he was one of Konoha's best, then I think that we're in for a whole lot of trouble once the war starts."

"Of course it was easier than you thought," said Pain. "Although many people don't know this, those who are under the influence of the Edo Tensei Jutsu can only fight with 60% of their full potential, and even then, since they can't make their own decisions, so their overall potential is reduced by 60%, making them only able to fight at 40% of their full strength."

"I figured as much," Yoruichi, nodding. "I knew that such a powerful jutsu couldn't exist without having any weaknesses."

"It's not really a weakness," said Pain. "Being able to resurrect a dead person to fight for you against their will is a huge advantage in itself. Just because their strength was reduced by over half doesn't mean that it's a weakness. It just means that if there wasn't that drawback, then the jutsu would just be that much stronger. Anyways, those who the Edo Tensei user allows to move and fight according to their will can fight with 100% of their full strength."

"So why do you think that Danzo was sent to attack us?" asked Ichigo.

"I don't know," said Pain. "It seems as if _someone_ wanted to test our strength."

"Should we report this?" asked Yoruichi.

"No," said Pain. "Let's leave it as it is for now. He wasn't much of a threat anyways."

"Alright then," said Ichigo. "Let's head back to Konoha."

"Yea," said Pain. "Let's go."

* * *

(Outside of the Akatsuki's Hideout)

Exactly at midnight on the very same day, Madara and Kabuto walked out of the Akatsuki's Hideout together, stopping fifty feet from the entrance. "Come out," said Madara, crossing his arms.

A mysterious figure suddenly appeared in front of Madara and Kabuto, his face hidden by the shadows. "You wanted to talk to us?"

"Yea, Madara," said the mysterious figure. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened earlier today."

"What do you mean?" asked Kabuto. "What about it?"

"Wasn't it a little bit too much?" said the stranger. "What if they had alerted the Five Kage's about it?"

"Well, they didn't, so it's all good now, isn't it?" said Kabuto, a grin appearing on his face.

"Don't push it," said the stranger. "I didn't ask you for a full-on attack while there were three people. Just two would've been enough. That Shihoin Yoruichi isn't exactly obedient, if you know what I mean."

"Well, I'll try to be more careful in the future," said Kabuto.

"Good," said the hidden figure.

"Proceed with the revolution in one week," said Madara.

The hidden figure crossed his arms and nodded. "I'll contact you later, Madara."

A second later, he was gone.

* * *

(The Hidden Rain Village)

Back in the Hidden Rain Village, a woman sat up from her bed from inside of the Six Paths of Pain's Tower. A man had his back leaned against the corner of the wall, his figure hidden by the shadows.

"Is that you?" asked the woman.

"Yea. How are you feeling?" asked the man.

"A whole lot better thanks to you," said the woman. "I'm glad that you came by to check on me. I was actually going to send someone to fetch you."

"Why?" asked the man.

"I need to ask you something," she said. "Well, actually, I have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it?"

The woman sighed. "I know that this might be asking a lot of you, but I… I need you to lead Amegakure from now on in my stead."

The man narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"_He_ asked you to personally," she said.

"What?" The man's eyes widened in shock. "_He_ did?"

The woman nodded. "Yes, he did. So please. For him. For _me_. Please lead Amegakure."

"Very well then, Konan-sensei," said the man. "For him, and for you, I will lead Amegakure."

Konan closed her eyes and bent her head in relief. "Thank you… Pain."


	6. Chapter 6: The Land of Lightning

Dattebayo: Ya know?

**Chapter 6: The Land of Lightning**

(Naruto's Room)

"NARUTO!"

Naruto woke up to the sound of someone banging on his door. "Ugh…" he groaned, rubbing the back of his head.

"NARUTO!"

"I'm coming I'm coming," he said, lazily getting out of his bed. The person continued to pound his door. "Ugh… Who is it?" he asked, slowly unlocking the door. He opened the door to find Sakura standing there. "Sakura-chan?" he said, blinking lazily. He rubbed his eyes and stared at her, a tired look on his face. "What is it?"

"NARUTO, YOU IDIOT!" she yelled. "YOU'RE LEAVING FOR THE LAND OF LIGHTNING IN AN HOUR! HURRY UP AND GET READY! TSUNADE-SAMA WANTS TO SEE YOU BEFORE YOU GO!"

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. "OH NO! IS THAT TODAY?!"

* * *

(The Hokage's Office)

"Finally," said Tsunade as Naruto and Sakura walked into the room. "Naruto, you're here."

Naruto looked around the room. Tsunade, as well the other Five Kage's, along with Pain, Ichigo, Kenpachi, Yoruichi, Gin, Byakuya, Kakashi, and Yamato were in the room as well. "Kakashi-sensei! What are you doing here?" asked Naruto, an excited look on his face.

"Why do you think?" said Kakashi. "I'm here to see you off of course."

"Oh!" said Naruto. Then he looked around the room again, a confused look appearing on his face. "Just wait a second," he said. "Then why is everyone else here? I highly doubt that everyone here came to see me off."

"That's true," said Tsunade. "They're not here to see you off, Naruto. Most of them are here because of a meeting, but some of them are here because of another reason."

"Ok then," said Naruto, a blank look on his face. "So, what now? When am I leaving? Am I taking a ship? Are you going to transport me there? How long is it gonna take? I hope that I don't get seasick. Are you sure that you shou-?"

"SHUT UP NARUTO!" screamed Sakura, punching him in the back of the head.

"Sakura-channn," Naruto whined.

"Naruto," said Tsunade, closing her eyes and sighing. "To answer your first question, you'll be leaving in exactly one hour, and to answer your second question, no, you will NOT be taking a ship. You'll be flying."

Naruto blinked. "Flying?"

"Yes," said Tsunade. "You heard me, Naruto. You'll be _flying_ to the Land of Lightning."

"B-But, I don't understand," said Naruto. "I don't _know_ how to fly."

"I am well aware of that," said Tsunade. "Don't worry about that, Naruto. Don't you think that we've already taken care of that?"

"Wait a second," said Naruto. "Am I going to be going alone?"

Tsunade smiled. "Of course not. Pain. Ichigo. Gin. Kenpachi. Yoruichi."

Pain and the others stepped forward. "These, Naruto, are your escorts," said Tsunade, gesturing to the five people with her arm.

"All five of them?" said Naruto, a surprised look on his face. "Are-, are they any good? They don't look really strong to me."

Everyone in the room except for the five fell down dramatically. "WHAT?!" screamed Sakura. "ARE YOU FREAKEN KIDDING ME, NARUTO?!"

Tsunade sighed, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly. "I can assure you, Naruto, that these five are the best that we have," she said, cracking her knuckles loudly.

Naruto gulped, a scared look appearing on his face. "Y-Yes, Granny!"

"Anyways," said Tsunade. "Meet us at the entrance of Konoha in precisely one hour."

"Got it!" said Naruto, turning around to walk out of the room.

Tsunade coughed. "Oh, and Naruto?" she said, narrowing her eyes.

Naruto turned around, a questioning look on his face. "Yea, Granny?"

"DON'T. BE. LATE."

Naruto gulped. "Sure thing, Granny. I'm never late, ya know?"

"You better not be," said Tsunade, her eyes flaring. "For your sake, I hope that you won't be."

* * *

(The Entrance of Konoha)

"You're early," said Gaara.

"Yea," said Naruto. "I was just so excited to get going, that's all!"

"Well, Pain and Ichigo should be here any moment," said Tsunade, looking up at the sky.

A soft whirlwind of leaves suddenly appeared in front of Naruto and the others, the leaves rotating faster and faster until nothing except the leaves were visible. The leaves suddenly dispersed, revealing Pain and Ichigo in the mist of the whirlwind of leaves. "You're finally here," said the Raikage. "We were all waiting for you."

"My apologies," said Pain. "We figured that Uzumaki Naruto would be the type to be late."

Gaara, Tsunade, Sakura, Kakashi, and Yamato all smiled. "You got that right," said Tsunade.

Naruto laughed out loud and scratched his head. "Well, not this time!"

Naruto suddenly looked around. "Say… Granny, where's our ride?"

"Oh, that," said Tsunade. She turned to the Raikage, who nodded at Pain, who nodded at back at the Raikage.

Pain lifted up his mask and took off both of his gloves with his teeth. He bit his left thumb, causing a tiny flow of blood to come rushing out of it. He took his thumb and drew a line of blood on the palm of his right hand. He put his mask back on and closed his eyes, sighing. He quickly performed the necessary hand seals and slammed his hand on the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"

There was a huge cloud of smoke that appeared with a puff, enveloping everyone in the cloud of smoke. As the smoke slowly started to clear up, a pair of giant 50 foot long midnight-black wings flew out from either side of the cloud of smoke. "Whoa!" said Naruto as he stared up at the giant creature that emerged from the cloud of smoke. "It's a bat!"

Pain looked up at the giant bat that appeared next to him. "Axel."

Axel was a 35 foot long and 25 foot wide, midnight-black bat with midnight-blue eyes. It looked down at Pain, its cat-like pupils staring at Pain. "Pain, huh?" it said, its voice dark and smooth.

"Axel," said Pain. "I need you to fly us to the Land of Lightning."

Axel narrowed its eyes. "I see," it said. "It's about _that_, isn't it?"

Pain nodded slightly. "Exactly that."

"Very well then," said Axel. "When are we leaving?"

"Now," said Pain. "Everyone, hop on."

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he stared at Pain. _Just wait a second! That face! Although he resembles Sasuke a tiny bit, he looks a lot more like that Yahiko guy that I fought against when he was the Deva Path! But why do I feel this uneasiness inside of me? Nagato was a good guy!_

Naruto and the five members of the Zero Squad jumped on Axel's back. "Well then, we're off" said Naruto. "Cya later Granny!"

"Don't get into any trouble, Naruto!" said Tsunade. "Take care of yourself! I'll be sending Yamato and a few other Jonin's to help you out, but they'll be taking a little longer than you will be because they'll be traveling by boat."

"Got it!" said Naruto.

"I will return, Raikage," said Pain.

The Raikage nodded. "Take care of the Jinchuuriki, and make sure that Bee doesn't get into too much trouble. You know that you're the only one besides me that he'll listen to."

Pain nodded. "Understood."

He patted Axel's back. "Let's go."

Axel spread its wings, creating a gust of wind as it flapped its wings. As it slowly rose into the air, it bared its pointed teeth. "Raiton: Body Flicker Jutsu."

BZZZT! There was a sudden miniature flash of blue light, a crackling noise following it as Axel and the others disappeared. The only thing that was left was a trail of blue lightning that crackled in the air.

* * *

(In the Middle of the Ocean)

"What was that jutsu?" asked Naruto. "One second we were at Konoha, and the next second we're at the harbor near the Ocean!"

"That was my signature jutsu," said Axel. "I invented the jutsu myself. It allows me to use an enhanced version of the Body Flicker Jutsu by adding my lightning chakra into it."

"Axel is a Raiton user," said Pain. "In fact, he's the one that taught me to use Raiton jutsu's."

"Wow!" said Naruto. "So you learned jutsu from a bat? That's so cool, ya know!"

"Geez," said Kenpachi. "What's wrong with this kid? I find it hard- no, impossible to believe that this goofy kid defeated the leader of the Akatsuki."

Naruto scratched his head and laughed out loud. "Well, I'm pretty awesome, ya know?"

"Well, I think that he's sort of cute," said Yoruichi, winking at Naruto.

Naruto's face turned red. He looked down and picked at Axel's sleek midnight-black fur. "Just calm down and relax, Naruto-san" said Gin. "We won't be at the Land of Lightning for another couple of days or so. Right, Pain-taichou?"

Pain remained silent, looking out into the ocean as the wind rustled his hair.

* * *

(The Akatsuki's Hideout)

"Madara."

"Kabuto, huh?"

"I need to speak with you," said Kabuto.

Madara looked up at the sky from the skeleton that he was sitting on. "The stars are bright tonight."

Kabuto looked up. "Yea, they are, aren't they?"

"Anyways, what do you want?" asked Madara.

"I need to ask you- can we trust him?" asked Kabuto.

Madara narrowed his eyes as he turned to Kabuto, both eyes visible because of his new mask. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I know that he's secretly been part of the Akatsuki for quite some time now, but I'm just wondering if he's really as loyal to you as _I_ am," said Kabuto.

Madara frowned from behind his mask. "Are you trying to make a joke? If I were you, then I wouldn't be trying to piss me off right now."

Kabuto raised both of his hands. "My bad," he said, laughing softly to himself. "I didn't mean to offend you in any way. All I'm wondering is if he can really go through with the plan. Even if it means betraying his own friends and comrades."

Madara chuckled softly. "You underestimate him, Kabuto," said Madara. "You would do well to keep away from him. Although he may not look like it, he's actually much more dangerous than you would think. You would describe me as being heartless, wouldn't you? Well, compared to _him_, I'm nothing. You would describe Sasuke's chakra as being cold and intense, wouldn't you? Well, compared to _his_ chakra, Sasuke's is as warm and as bright as that Uzumaki Naruto's. You would describe Kakuzu as being without mercy, wouldn't you? Well, compared to _him_, Kakuzu is as pure as a newborn baby."

Kabuto narrowed his eyes. "He will complete his mission," said Madara. "And in just 3 days, the revolution will happen, and in that moment, the Allied Shinobi Forces will be torn apart from the inside out."

"Very well then," said Kabuto. He turned around and walked away, his white snake hissing and slithering behind him.

When Kabuto was gone, Madara stared at the forest ahead of him. "Sasuke."

"Yea, I'm here," said Sasuke, suddenly appearing behind Madara.

"Did you need something?"

"Yea," said Sasuke. "I'm getting impatient. How long is it going to be before my eyes completely heal?"

"Be patient, Sasuke," said Madara. "Patience is also a part of the battle too."

Sasuke sighed impatiently. "Very well then," he said. "Let's just hope that for Naruto's sake, it heals slowly."

Madara turned his head to face Sasuke. "For Naruto's sake?"

"Yea," said Sasuke, a menacing grin appearing on his face. "Because the faster my eyes heal, the faster Naruto's death awaits him."

* * *

(In the Middle of the Ocean)

The Sun slowly died the waters in a fiery orange-red dye as it slowly descended into the water. Gin walked over to Pain, who was sitting down with his arm resting on his knee, the other one was crossed. "Hey _Pain-taichou_," said Gin.

Pain turned his head to face Gin. "Gin, huh?" said Pain. "What do you want?"

"How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine," said Pain. "Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself."

"Got it," said Gin.

"Did you inform the others about it before we left?" asked Pain.

"Yea," said Gin. "Everything's set."

Pain stared out into the ocean, the fiery orange-red glow of the sunset reflecting off of his mask.

"Good."


	7. Chapter 7: Kabuto vs The Five Kages

Ninpo: Shikaku's Armor is just a made up jutsu that's just based off of when Gaara had Shukaku inside of him.

**Chapter 7: Kabuto vs The Five Kages**

(Konoha's War Room)

"So we'll divide our troops by using Nara Shikaku's plan," Tsunade. "Agreed?"

"Of course," said the Mizukage. "It's a very well-thought-out plan. How about you, Raikage? Kazekage? Tsuchikage?"

"I agree," said Gaara.

"Very well then," said the Raikage.

"I also agree," said the Tsuchikage. "I couldn't think of a better thought out plan than the one that he came up with."

"Thank you very much," said Shikaku, bowing his head in respect.

"I'm impressed," said Byakuya. "No wonder why you're known as the most intelligent person in the Land of Fire. I just hope that your son's mind is equally as impressive."

"Don't worry," said Shikaku. "My son is just as intelligent as I am. In fact, in just a few years, he'll have surpassed me."

"This meeting is over," said the Raikage. "Everyone except for the other Kage's, leave the room."

When the last person left the room, the Raikage turned to the other four Kage's. "We have something important that we need to discuss."

The Tsuchikage crossed his arms and nodded knowingly. "Madara's army, am I right?"

The Raikage's eyes widened in surprise. "Yes, you're right."

"We need to come up with a plan in order to weaken Madara's forces before the war begins," said the Mizukage. "That way we can lower our troop's casualties drastically."

"Agreed," said the Kazekage. "But how?"

"Well, according to our intel, Madara's force will consist mainly of White Zetsu Clones, but on the other hand, we have also received intel that Kabuto will be helping Madara strengthen his army through various means," said Tsuchikage. "I think that as Madara is basically untouchable right now, we should be aiming for the weaker link, and in this case, it's Kabuto."

Tsunade nodded. "I agree with the Tsuchikage. How about you, Kazekage? Raikage? Mizukage?"

All three of them nodded simultaneously. "Then it's settled," said the Tsuchikage. "We must devise a plan in order to stop Kabuto, then."

* * *

(The Akatsuki's Hideout)

"A message?"

"Yes," said Madara. "The Allied Shinobi Forces sent a message to us asking for a meeting."

Kabuto narrowed his eyes. "A message, huh? Well, what do you think about it?"

"It's most likely a trap," said Madara. "But then, Konoha is mostly all about honor and respect."

"So, what do we do?" asked Kabuto.

"Well, I'm going to send you over there," said Madara. "Take as many of the Edo Tensei Shinobi as you want."

"Very well," said Kabuto. "And what about you?"

"I'll be monitoring the whole entire meeting through Zetsu," said Madara.

Zetsu suddenly rose up from the ground, stopping once his head and body was visible. "I got this," said White Zetsu.

"Understood," said Black Zetsu.

* * *

(The Five Kage Summit)

"What a strange place to have a meeting with the enemy," said Kabuto as he looked around the Five Kage Summit.

"Yea," said White Zetsu. "Well then, we'll be on our way now, Kabuto. We'll be keeping an eye on you the whole entire time, so don't worry about getting jumped or whatever."

"Shut up," said Black Zetsu. "I hear someone coming. Let's get moving."

Zetsu disappeared into the ground just as someone turned the corner. "Kabuto-san, is it?" said the person.

"Yes," said Kabuto. "And you must be Mifune."

"That is correct," said Mifune. "Now, if you would please follow me."

As Mifune and Kabuto entered the room where the Five Kage Summit took place, Kabuto looked around his surroundings through the corner of his eyes. _Well, at least it doesn't look like this place has any traps in it._

"Welcome, Kabuto," said Tsunade. "Long time no see."

"Long time no see indeed, Tsunade-hime," said Kabuto. He looked around the room, spreading his arms wide. "I must say, I'm surprised that you didn't set up any traps for me on my way in here. I was certain that you all were going to attack me as soon as I walked into the room."

"I'm offended," said Tsunade. "Anyways, where is Madara? I thought that we made it clear that we expected him to be here as well."

"Madara sends his apologies," said Kabuto. "He had certain… _matters_ to attend to."

The Raikage narrowed his eyes. "I see."

"Well then, that's too bad, isn't it?" said the Mizukage, closing her eyes and sighing. "I wanted to see what was behind that mask of his."

"Please, sit down," said Gaara, gesturing to the empty seat in front of Kabuto.

Kabuto narrowed his eyes. _Something's going on here…_

Mifune quickly glanced at Gaara, who met his gaze for a brief second, closing his eyes to signal his approval. Mifune turned his gaze back to Kabuto, who had completely missed what had just passed between Mifune and Gaara. "Everyone, please place your hands on the table to show that you are all unarmed. Then the meeting can proceed," said Mifune.

As Kabuto slowly places his hands on the table, Zetsu watched from the ceiling. "What do you think that they're going to do?" asked White Zetsu.

"I don't know," said Black Zetsu. "They're definitely planning something, but then, they could also just be taking extra measures to ensure their safety. Even so, let's just watch and see what they do."

"And if they try anything?" asked White Zetsu, a crazy grin appearing on his face.

"Then we watch," answered Black Zetsu coldly.

White Zetsu's grin grew larger.

* * *

(In the Middle of the Ocean)

Pain looked at Gin, who nodded at him. Pain turned his head back to the ocean, staring at the bright blue-green water that sparkled in the sun's light. He cast his head down, sighing as he stared blankly at the ocean's water. _It's almost time…_

* * *

(The Five Kage Summit)

"Very well then," said Mifune. "Now we can start the meeting."

As Kabuto lifted his hands off the table, Gaara's fingers twitched. Kabuto noticed this and looked at Gaara, who stared back at him. "It's over," said Gaara.

A sphere of sand suddenly appeared around Kabuto's hands, closing in on them and trapping them. Kabuto's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Gaara, a menacing look in his eyes. "WHAT IS THIS?!"

"This is how we're going to end the war before it even begins," said the Tsuchikage. "Prepare yourself, Kabuto."

As Kabuto opened his mouth to shed his skin, Gaara sent a patch of sand flying at his mouth. Kabuto ducked and jumped out of his chair. _Dammit! His sand is too fast! I won't be able to shed my skin at this rate!_

Kabuto jumped to the side, opening his mouth in mid-air. "Die!" he yelled as a white snake shot out of his mouth. A wall of sand appeared in front of Gaara, deflecting the snake. Gaara twisted his hands, causing the wall of sand to envelop the snake. He closed his hands, causing the sand to crush the snake.

The Raikage suddenly teleported from where he was standing, a trail of lightning following him as he zipped behind Kabuto, kicking him in the back. Kabuto summoned a wall of snakes just in time, but he still went flying across the room and into the wall from the force of the Raikage's kick, which went through the wall of snakes.

Kabuto shakily emerged from the hole in the wall. _So fast! I barely had enough time to block that move. Also, that was a very powerful kick. I better be careful of him. If he gets a clean hit on me, then I'm done for._

Kabuto shook his trapped hands to test the weight of it. A white snake came crawling out from beneath his robe, staring at the ball of sand and hissing at it. It suddenly struck at it at, trying to sink its fangs into the ball of sand. It flinched and looked at Kabuto, hissing at him. Kabuto nodded, a serious look on his face. "I see," he said. "This is very hard sand, Gaara. I'm impressed."

Gaara narrowed his eyes, more sand slowly rising out of his gourd. Kabuto stared at the sand and grinned. "So you fused the sand in your gourd in order to create a much harder and denser sand than normal sand, am I right? That's very impressive. I'm surprised that it can even get this hard and dense."

"You're finished," said Gaara, looking at the Mizukage. She looked at him and nodded, turning her head back to face Kabuto. She swiftly performed a couple of hand seals and took a deep breath.

_Yoton: Lava Blanket Jutsu!_ The Mizukage exhaled, spitting out a huge blanket of molten lava Kabuto's direction. Kabuto's eyes widened in shock. "So that's your Kekkei Genkai, Yoton," he said.

He quickly jumped out of the way just in time, the lava splattering on the area that he was just at a brief moment ago. "How dangerous," said Kabuto, grinning at the Mizukage.

"I wouldn't relax just yet," said a voice behind him. Kabuto head snapped around as he saw the Raikage, who had just been twenty feet away from him moments before, standing behind him. "It's over!" said the Raikage.

He drew back his fist and rammed it into Kabuto's face, who went flying across the room, crashing through the wall and into the hallway. Kabuto slightly grinned, licking his lips with his tongue. Fifty ten-foot long white snakes came slithering up behind the Raikage. They all suddenly lunged at him, all fifty of them hissing in unison. Gaara's sand took the form of a giant hand and started ripping the snakes off of the Raikage in handfuls. The Raikage stood up, blood dripping down from his face and body. He narrowed his eyes, staring at the puddle of blood on the ground. _I'm clad in my Raiton armor, and yet his snakes were able to damage me? How is this possible?_

Kabuto grins grew even wider. _I enhanced my snake's offensive capabilities by injecting them with various drugs which hardened their fangs to the point where they could easily bite through steel! It was the perfect way to counter the Raikage's Raiton armor!_

The Five Kage's looked at the hole in the wall. "It's time to end this," said Tsunade.

The Raikage nodded. "Agreed."

"Then we can drastically weaken the Akatsuki's forces," said the Tsuchikage.

"Of course," said the Mizukage.

"Let's get on with this," said Gaara, twisting his arms to manipulate the sand. The sand rose up to cover Gaara in a very thin sphere of sand. He narrowed his eyes as he was enveloped in darkness by the sphere of sand. "Ninpo: Shikaku's Armor!"

* * *

(Konoha)

Shikamaru sighed, staring up at the sky from his usual spot on top of a square of wooden planks. _I wonder how Naruto's doing._

Choji looked up at Shikamaru. "Are you worried about Naruto?" he asked.

Shikamaru smirked and turned his head to look down at Choji. "You know me too well, Choji," he said.

"Well, don't worry about him," said Choji. "After all, he's the hero of the Hidden Leaf."

"You're right," said Shikamaru. He turned his head back and resumed looking up at the sky. He narrowed his eyes as he thought of the Five Kage's Summit that was currently going on. _Still… I can't help but feel as if something horrible is going to happen at any moment…_

* * *

(The Five Kage's Summit)

"NOOO!" screamed Kabuto.

"Ninpo: Four Violet Flames Battle Encampment Jutsu!"

Four transparent black walls rose up from the ground, trapping Kabuto inside of a black barrier. "Good!" said the Raikage, who was on the ground. He struggled to get up, blood trickling down his cheek. "You may be my enemy, but I'm impressed that you managed to damage me this much," he said as he stared hard at Kabuto. "Unfortunately for you, Kabuto, this ends now."

The Tsuchikage floated next to the Raikage. "That's right, Kabuto! The war ends today!"

"STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" Kabuto screamed, blood flying from his mouth. "I PROMISE YOU THAT YOU'LL ALL LIVE TO REGRET THIS! ONCE I GET OUT, I'LL M-!"

The Tsuchikage raised an eyebrow. "Once you get out? What do you mean, Kabuto?"

Kabuto's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

Tsunade walked up to the barrier, facing Kabuto. "What we're talking about is that we're planning on sealing you."

Kabuto's eyes widened even more. "Y-You can't b-be s-serious!"

"Oh, but we are," said Tsunade. Three of the other four Kage's walked up to each of the remaining three walls. "Farewell, Kabuto."

"NOOO!" Kabuto screamed.

"Release the barrier!" said Gaara.

"Ninpo: Four Corner Light Sealing Jutsu!"

Kabuto swiftly performed a couple of hand signs as the flashing light blinded everyone in the area. As the four corners of the barrier closed in on Kabuto, he stared at them from the black darkness that enveloped him. "I'll be back one day, and once I come back, you'll all live to regret this…"

* * *

**I appreciate all of your reviews, so keep 'em coming!**


	8. Chapter 8: Revolution

**Chapter 8: Revolution**

(Konoha)

As Sakura was walking around Konoha, she saw Shikamaru organizing a stack of papers. "Hey Shikamaru," she said, walking up to him.

Shikamaru looked up at her and looked back down at the stack of paper that he had in his hands. "Oh, hey Sakura," he said. "Watsup?"

"I was just wondering," said Sakura. "Why did you send Naruto by air and Yamato-taichou by sea? Why not just send them all together at the same time?"

"That's a good question," said Shikamaru. He laid the stack of papers next to him and patted down at the seat next to the stack of papers, indicating that she should sit down. "You obviously know that the Akatsuki are after Naruto, right?"

Sakura nodded. "Of course."

"Well," said Shikamaru. "If the Akatsuki were to learn about Naruto's departure, then there's no doubt in my mind that the Akatsuki would go all out in order to capture Naruto. So, why would they send the Zero Squad with Naruto?"

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. "I see!" she said. "They sent the Zero Squad with him in order to protect him in case the Akatsuki sent some very powerful Shinobi's to capture him."

Shikamaru nodded, a slight grin appearing on his face. "Exactly, Sakura."

Sakura looked up at the sky. "Well, hopefully they don't run into any of the Akatsuki members during their trip," she said. "They're almost there now anyways. It would be horrible if the Akatsuki were to find out the location of the Island Turtle."

* * *

(In the Middle of the Ocean)

Pain looked at Gin. "We're just a little over nine hours away from the Island Turtle," said Pain. "It's almost time."

Gin nodded and glanced sideways at the other four passengers on Axel. "Yep. So what should we do now, Pain-taichou?"

Pain narrowed his eyes from behind his mask. "Just get ready to give out the signal."

Gin nodded. "Got it."

* * *

(The Five Kage's Summit)

Tsunade looked at the now sealed Kabuto. "Well, it's finally over," she said. "We did it. Now Madara won't be able to use any of the Edo Tensei Shinobi's in the upcoming war."

The Tsuchikage nodded. "We've considerably weakened Madara's forces. I estimate that the Akatsuki's forces will only be around 30% as strong as it would have been with the Edo Tensei Shinobi's."

"Then we should crush them right now while they're weakened and off guard!" said the Raikage. "We'll never get another chance like this!"

The Mizukage nodded. "You're absolutely right, Raikage," she said. She then turned to look at Gaara. "What do you say about this, Kazekage?"

Gaara closed his eyes for a brief second before opening them. "I agree," he said. "Let's prepare for war."

Mifune nodded, producing a piece of cloth from his robe and wiping the blood from his sword. "Then it's settled."

* * *

(In the Middle of the Ocean)

Pain glanced sideways at Gin and slightly nodded at him. Gin slightly bent his head to signal that he understood. "Well well well," said Gin. "Ichigo-san and Yoruichi-san, what are you two up to?"

"Nothing," said Ichigo, looking out into the ocean. _Something's going on… What's this that I'm feeling?_ He glanced sideways at Yoruichi, who met his gaze with an equally uneasy look on her face. She turned back to face the ocean, an unsettling feeling in her stomach. _The sky is unusually red, and the ocean looks like blood… Is this a sign?_

"Go bother Kenpachi or Naruto," said Yoruichi, trying to avoid Gin's gaze.

"Oy, Gin-ojisan!" said Naruto. "Watsup with that creep smile? Also, why are your eyes always closed? Can you even see anything?"

Gin slowly turned to Naruto, his grin growing even larger. "What was that, Naruto-san?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to the right.

Naruto scrambled backwards on all four, a comical look of terror on his face. _Th-This guy…! He reminds me of Yamato-taichou!_

"Geez," said Kenpachi. "Can they get any more annoying?"

Pain slowly stood up and walked over to Gin. "Gin, give out the signal."

Ichigo and the others looked up at Pain and Gin. "The signal?" said Ichigo. "What do you mean, the signal? We've still got over five hours until we reach the Island Turtle."

Gin swiftly performed a couple of hand signs and slammed his hands together. "Ninpo: Shimmering Stone Jutsu!"

* * *

(All Over the Five Great Nations)

Throughout the Five Great Nations, fifty of the Shinobi's from the Allied Shinobi Forces took out a small pebble-sized rock from each of their pockets and placed it on the palm of their hands. It started shimmering brightly, and the fifty Shinobi's threw away the rocks and raised their hands in the form of the hand seal for "release."

"Kai!"

Fifty clouds of smoke surrounded the fifty people, slowly fading away to reveal fifty brand new Shinobi's. Back in the Hidden Cloud Village, a very white, fairly tall, white-robed person suddenly drew a sword from his side. He had piercing-green eyes and green lines that descended from the lower part of his eyes. "Hey!"

The tall ninja turned around to see a ninja from the Hidden Mist Village walking up to him. "Who are you?" asked the Hidden Mist ninja. "I've never se-!"

He suddenly stopped talking as the tall ninja suddenly stabbed his throat with his sword. "Hey, you there! Stop!"

Ten ninjas from the Allied Shinobi Forced rushed at him with their kunai's drawn. The tall ninja suddenly disappeared and reappeared on the other side of them. All ten of them looked down at their stomachs, which was bleeding, and fell forward, dead. The tall ninja sheathed his sword and disappeared.

* * *

(Konoha)

Aizen and Tosen stared outside the window as ten Shinobi's released their transformation jutsu and started to kill everyone around them before disappearing. "What's going on?!" asked Kakashi, rushing over to Aizen's side. "Oh, Kakashi-san," said Aizen. "It seems that there's traitors in the Allied Shinobi Forces."

"Then what are you three doing here?"

Aizen, Tosen, and Kakashi turned around to see Byakuya walking towards them. "Kuchiki-taichou," said Tosen, slightly bowing his head in respect. "What can we do for you?"

"Aizen. Tosen," said Byakuya. "Tell me, why are you so relaxed and calm in a situation like this?"

Aizen's eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean? A ninja should never show his emotions, right?"

Byakuya narrowed his eyes. "Then what's with that smile?"

Aizen's eyes widened even more, and then they relaxed as he brought his hands together, clapping at Byakuya. "Bravo, Kuchiki-taichou. Now I see why you're the captain of the Twelve Ninja Guardians. What a brilliant mind you have there."

Kakashi looked at Aizen. "Aizen, you…"

Aizen turned to Kakashi. "Yes, Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi closed his eyes. "I can't believe it. To think that we have a traitor in the Twelve Ninja Guardians…"

"Well, what about it?"

Kakashi slowly pulled out a kunai from his ninja tool bag and pointed it at Aizen. "You're coming with us, Aizen."

Tosen slowly drew his sword. Aizen slowly lifted his hands into the air. "Tosen, it's alright," he said. He turned to Kakashi. "Why yes, of course, Kakashi-san."

He then swiftly performed a couple of hand signs, jumping back as Kakashi lunged for him with his kunai. "Ninpo: Kyoka Suigetsu."

Kakashi suddenly teleported, appearing in front of Aizen. He stabbed Aizen's stomach with the kunai, Aizen's eyes widening in shock as his blood flew everywhere. "This is the end," said Kakashi. "You're dead."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Kakashi-san," said a voice from behind him.

Kakashi turned around, his eyes widening in shock as he saw Aizen standing behind him. He turned back and looked at Aizen's corpse that was lying on the ground in front of him. "How…?"

"How?" repeated Aizen as Byakuya started at him through narrowed eyes. "My jutsu, of course. That's how."

"There's no jutsu in the world that allows you to make a fake corpse of yourself so quickly and efficiently," said Byakuya.

"I know that," said Aizen. He closed his eyes and sighed, shaking his head. "It seems that I'll have to show you two just what I did."

Aizen raised his hand and snapped his fingers. "Kai."

Kakashi and Byakuya stepped back from shock as Aizen's corpse shattered into thousands of pieces. "Just what was that?" asked Kakashi.

Aizen smiled at him. "Isn't it obvious?" he said. "Genjutsu."

"That was no Genjutsu," said Byakuya. "I already tried releasing myself from it, and even if you were a Genjutsu master, I would have still been able to dispel it."

"But that's exactly why you couldn't dispel it, Kuchiki-taichou," said Aizen. "My Genjutsu is a special type of Genjutsu. It's called Kyoka Suigetsu, and it's actually sort of a form of hypnotism if you must know."

"Hypnotism?" said Kakashi. "How is that even possible?"

"Oh, and one more thing," said Aizen. "Once you've been caught in my Kyoka Suigetsu, it's approximetly ten times easier for me to cast the Genjutsu on you again."

Byakuya's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"

"Well, I should probably warn you two that _this_ is a Genjutsu as well," said Aizen. "Farewell, Kuchiki-taichou, Kakashi-san. May we meet again someday."

* * *

(The Five Kage's Summit)

Mifune walked into the room where the Five Kage's were in and saluted. "We have an emergency," said Mifune calmly. "It seems that… something's happened throughout the Five Great Countries."

The Raikage's head snapped up. "What happened?!"

"It seems that there are some traitors in the Allied Shinobi Forces," said Mifune. "They are probably spies that were planted by the Akatsuki right before Madara declared war on us."

"WHAT?!" cried Tsunade, a look of alarm appearing in her eyes. "But how could this have happened?!"

"They can't have just done all of this simultaneously," said the Tsuchikage. "They must have had a ringleader inside of the Allied Shinobi Forces."

Gaara nodded. "You're right," he said. "It must have been someone of a high position too."

The Raikage narrowed his eyes. "And the only ones that knew about this meeting was…"

The Mizukage's eyes widened in shock. "The Twelve Ninja Guardian's and the Zero Squad…"

* * *

(In the Middle of the Ocean)

"What's the meaning of this?" asked Ichigo. "What signal did you send out?"

Pain closed his eyes and sighed, shaking his head at Ichigo. "It was a signal to "open the horse," as you might call it."

"Open the horse?"

"Yes," said Pain. "Open the horse."

"I don't get it," said Naruto. "So you guys killed a horse?"

Everyone stared at Naruto with a comical look of disbelief on their faces. "Is he… freaken serious…?" asked Yoruichi.

"What a retard," said Kenpachi, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"Wait a second!" said Yoruichi. "Open the horse… The Trojan Horse…"

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock. "A revolution?"

"Precisely that," said Pain.

"But a revolution from what?" asked Naruto.

"Candy!" cried Yachiru, raising her fist in the air.

"Be quiet Yachiru!" said Kenpachi.

"Well, that's a good question, Naruto-san," said Gin. "I wonder where we just came from?"

"Well," said Naruto. "From Konoha. But what does that have to do with a revolution?"

Ichigo and the others suddenly slowly turned their heads to look at Pain and Gin. "Pain…" said Yoruichi. "Don't tell me that you and Gin…"

"Bingo!" said Gin. "Very impressive, Yoruichi-san!"

"Pain…" said Ichigo. "Don't joke around about these kinds of stuff."

"Oh, but I'm not," said Pain.

Ichigo slowly stood up. "So that's how it is, huh?"

"I guess so," said Pain.

"Are you really going to do this, Pain?" asked Ichigo. "You know, I always knew that you were different, but what I _didn't_ know was that you were this kind of different. I can't believe that you'd stoop so low as to betray your comrades and your village."

Pain narrowed his eyes from behind his mask. "You don't know anything about me," he whispered, a menacing tone in his voice.

"Oh really?" asked Ichigo. "And what about all of those years that we trained together and fought together? I thought that we were brothers, Pain!"

"Well, sorry to disappoint," said Pain. "Anyways, Gin, get ready. We're leaving."

"Oh no you're not," said Ichigo. "You're coming with us right now. We'll question you once we get back to Konoha."

A Chakra Disruption Blade slowly slid down from beneath Pain's right sleeve. "Well, in that case, Gin, stay out of this."

"Sure thing, Pain-taichou," said Gin.

As Yoruichi started to walk towards Pain, Gin swiftly pulled out a blade and pointed it in her direction. "I wouldn't move if I were you, Yoruichi-san."

"What are you going to do about it, Gin?" asked Yoruichi, narrowing her eyes.

She suddenly stepped back, her eyes widening in shock. Gin's blade, which had been over ten feet away from her neck, was suddenly right in front of her neck, the tip of the blade gently pressing against her throat. "How…?"

Gin continued to smile at her. "Please don't move, Yoruichi-san."

"It's alright, Yoruichi," said Ichigo. "This is my fight."

"Oh no it's not," said Kenpachi, standing up and slowly drawing his blade. "I've been waiting a long time for this moment, and I'm not going to let anyone stand in my way."

"Kenpachi, stand back," said Ichigo. "This is my fight."

Kenpachi suddenly ran past Gin and slashed at Ichigo, who grabbed the blade of the sword with his hand. "What are you doing, Kenpachi?" asked Ichigo.

"Well well well," said Kenpachi, a huge grin appearing on his face. "It looks like this will be even more fun than I thought."

Pain rolled his neck and cracked his knuckles. "Well then, let's get started, shall we?"

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Please leave reviews! Thanks!**


	9. Chapter 9: Pain vs Ichigo vs Kenpachi

**Chapter 9: Pain vs Ichigo vs Kenpachi**

Pain, Ichigo, and Kenpachi all stared at each other, the tension in the air increasing each second. "Let's do this," said Ichigo.

Kenpachi grinned, raising his sword into the air. He swung his sword at Pain, who ducked and kicked Kenpachi in the stomach. Kenpachi moved back an inch, grinning at Pain as he grabbed his ankle. "TOO EASY!" yelled Kenpachi, throwing Pain off of Axel's back and into the air. Kenpachi's eyes widened as Pain disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

"You're right," said a voice from behind him. Kenpachi turned around to find Pain behind him, a chakra blade in his right hand. As Pain stabbed forward with it, Kenpachi stepped back and knocked the chakra blade aside with his hand, slashing at Pain with his sword. Pain dodged to the side and tripped Kenpachi using his feet. "PAIN!" yelled Ichigo, drawing the sword from his back. He swung it down at Pain, who narrowed his eyes from behind his mask. _If Ichigo's hit lands, then Axel will die. Ichigo is way too strong, and even without using his full power, if he lands a hit on me, then I'll be at a serious disadvantage._

Pain kicked Ichigo's blade aside and performed a handstand, kicking Ichigo in the jaw and sending him flying into the air. _My chakra blade is useless. Ichigo's skin is much too hard to pierce. It'll only break and put me at a disadvantage. What to do…_

Ichigo scoffed as he sailed through the air. _Pain's Taijutsu skills are as impressive as always; but then, he's also underestimating me._ "You've still as naïve as ever, Pain."

Ichigo performed a backflip in mid-air and raised his sword, poised to swing down on Axel at any moment. Pain suddenly disappeared, reappearing behind Ichigo. "Not really," said Pain.

Pain swung back his leg and kicked at Ichigo's back. Ichigo swiftly turned around and blocked Pain's kick with his arms, swinging his sword at Pain with all of his strength, intending to slice him in half. As his blade touched Pain's side, it suddenly seemed to go right through him. The force of the swing caused the ocean's water to explode into a huge tidal wave, and the air itself trembled from the force of the swing. Ichigo's eyes widened in shock. _What was that? Genjutsu?_

"Nope," said Pain. "In case you were wondering, it's not Genjutsu. It's a special ability that my Sharingan grants me. It's called Kamui."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "Kamui?"

"That's right," said Pain. "I'm currently the second Uchiha to have unlocked this ability, and with this, I can dematerialize and rematerialize at will."

"That sounds too good to be true," said Ichigo. "There must be a weakness to your ability."

"You're right," said Pain. "There is. I can only maintain the ability for exactly three minutes at a time."

"Wait, why are you tel-?"

Ichigo and Pain suddenly moved to the side as Kenpachi came slashing down at them with his sword. Kenpachi hit the ocean's water with a loud explosion as the force of the slash caused a huge explosion in the ocean's water. "I got tired of waiting for you two," said Kenpachi from below. "Why don't you two talk less and start fighting more?"

"Very well then," said Pain, slightly lifting up his mask. He swiftly performed an extraordinary amount of hand seals in just a couple of seconds and took a deep breath. "Katon: Flaming Meteor Jutsu!"

A giant fireball, fifty feet long and fifty feet wide, erupted from Pain's mouth, speeding towards Kenpachi. Kenpachi swiftly ran out of the way and jumped onto Axel's back, slashing his sword at Ichigo and Pain. Pain and Ichigo blocked the attack, and all three of them engaged in an all-out Kenjutsu/Taijutsu battle.

"Amazing!" said Naruto. "These guys are incredible! I mean, I still have no idea what's going on, but this is just so awesome!"

Yoruichi narrowed her eyes as she observed the battle. _Pain's just as skilled as ever. In fact, he's grown a lot since I've last seen him._

"Die, Zaraki," said Pain. "You're a menace and a danger to everyone in the ninja world. You shouldn't be left alive to threaten the world with your unquenchable thirst for blood."

"THEN JUST TRY AND KILL ME!" yelled Kenpachi. He swung his sword up, trying to cut Pain's face. Pain jumped backwards and performed a couple of hand seals, ending by clasping his hands together. "Raiton: Guided Electric Circuit!"

Four thin waves of lightning shot out from Pain's clasped hands and zipped around Ichigo, hitting Kenpachi in the chest. Kenpachi went flying off of Axel's back and fell into the ocean. Pain jumped on Axel's wings and looked down at Kenpachi, who was standing on top of the water. "Die, animal," said Pain. "Raiton: Lightning Bed Jutsu!"

Hundreds of beams of lightning shot out from Pain's hands, raining down on Kenpachi, who raised his arm in a feeble attempt to block them. Kenpachi slightly grimaced as his whole body was electrified to the max, further enhanced by him being drenched in water. Kenpachi chuckled softly to himself. "Now this is what I'm talking about," he said. "This is the fight that I've been waiting for. LET'S GO, PAIN!"

Kenpachi jumped and slashed at Pain, who was busy trying to dodge all of Ichigo's punches and kicks. Kenpachi stumbled forward as his sword passed through Pain, who then proceeded to kick Kenpachi in the back, who then fell into the ocean once again. "PAIN!" roared Ichigo. "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"

"I told you before, didn't I?" said Pain. "You don't know anything about me."

Pain suddenly dropped to the ground and kicked Ichigo straight in the jaw. Ichigo went flying into the air, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Pain, who stood up and brushed off his cloak. _I remember this move,_ said Ichigo to himself. _Next, he's going to appear…_

"Behind you."

Ichigo turned around to find Pain behind him, pulling out wire from the inside of his left sleeve. "It's over," said Pain.

He quickly wrapped Ichigo in wire and swiftly performed a couple of hand signs. "Suiton: Water Floor Jutsu."

"What was that for?" asked Ichigo, staring down at the ocean. "Nothing's happened besides a part of the water turning a little bit darker."

"This happened," said Pain, who then executed another array of hand signs. "Suiton: Water Density Multiplier."

"Water Density Multiplier?"

Ichigo's eyes suddenly widened in shock as he realized what Pain just did. "That's right," said Pain. "You figured it out, but it's too late now."

THUD! The sound of the impact rang throughout the area, causing Kenpachi and the others to look down from Axel's back to see what was going on down below.

Pain's jutsu had caused the water to become as hard as steel. Ichigo's head broke through the dense plate of water, and his body went limp. Pain stood up on the water and looked down as Ichigo's lifeless body sunk down into the watery depth of the ocean. "Farewell, Kurosaki," said Pain.

As he turned around to walk away, there was a huge crash as the water broke from underneath him. Pain looked down, and then his head suddenly snapped up, his mask shattering into thousands of pieces as Ichigo's fist connected with his face.

POOF! Ichigo stood on top of the water and looked around the area. "A Shadow Clone, huh?" he said.

"Katon!"

Ichigo turned around to see Pain standing a hundred feet away from him. "Cranium Carver!"

Ichigo looked at Pain, a bored look in his eyes. "That jutsu won't work on me, Pain."

"Fuuton: Feather Wind Jutsu!"

"Well, now, _that_ might," said Ichigo, jumping up into the air.

"That won't work," said Pain.

_I see,_ said Ichigo in his head. _I'm still not out of range yet. Oh well. He's underestimating my Taijutsu skills._

Ichigo took a deep breath and slammed his hands together as hard as he could. The force of the impact blew away the inferno just before it engulfed him. Kenpachi and Yoruichi whistled in surprise, while Naruto's jaws dropped in shock. "ARE YOU FREAKEN KIDDING ME?!" screamed Naruto, a comical look of shock on his face.

Even Pain's eyes widened in surprise. "To blow away one of my most powerful Katon jutsu's," said Pain. "I'm impressed. It seems that I've been underestimating you, Kurosaki."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he stared hard at Pain. Kenpachi jumped down from Axel's back and landed ten feet away from where Ichigo was standing. Meanwhile, Axel hovered in mid-air while he watched the fight take place. "That was impressive, Ichigo," said Kenpachi. "It seems that you're a lot stronger than I thought."

Ichigo continued to stare at Pain. Pain, Ichigo, and Kenpachi suddenly sped towards each other, all of them almost seeming to teleport to each other. Ichigo's fist went through Pain, who then grabbed him by the shirt and kicked him in the back. Kenpachi slashed at Pain, who dodged them all, stabbing him in the shoulder with his chakra blade. Kenpachi grabbed the chakra blade and swung down his sword at Pain, but it passed through him as Pain ran _through_ Kenpachi. Pain grabbed Kenpachi's shoulder and lifted up his mask, revealing his Sharringans. "It's over, Kenpachi," said Pain, who then proceeded to suck Kenpachi into another dimension.

"PAIN!"

Pain turned around to see Ichigo running towards him, his fist drawn back. Pain dodged to the side as Ichigo's fist connected with Kenpachi's back, who then went flying over a hundred meters before crashing into giant rock.

Meanwhile, Yoruichi and the others looked down at the battle that was taking place. "This is getting intense," said Yoruichi.

"You're right," said Naruto. "Say, Yoruichi-san, why are they fighting?"

Yoruichi sighed and opened her mouth to answer his question, but it was Gin who answered him instead. "Pain-taichou is a traitor, so Ichigo is tryin to stop him. Kenpachi is just fighting because he's an animal."

"A traitor?" said Naruto. "What do you mean, Gin-ojisan?"

"I _mean_ that Pain-taichou over there betrayed the Allied Shinobi Forced," said Gin, grinning at Naruto.

Naruto stared at Gin, a furious look appearing in his eyes. "A traitor, huh?"

"Please stay put," said Gin, pointing his sword at Naruto. "I wouldn't want to have to hurt ya now, right, Naruto-san?"

Naruto thought back to when he met with Nagato. _Nagato… You betrayed the Akatsuki for me. You betrayed the organization that you created in order to bring peace into this world. Ever since my fight with you, I-, I-…_

"I want to talk with him," said Naruto, closing his eyes.

Gin looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "What's with ya all of a sudden?"

Naruto suddenly became very still, and as Gin and Yoruichi stared at him, an orange ring appeared on either side of his eyes. Yoruichi's eyes widened in surprise. "I-Is that-?"

THUD! Pain and the others turned their heads in the direction of where Axel was. Ichigo and Kenpachi suddenly went flying as Naruto appeared in the middle of the three of them, knocking them aside with his fists and his elbows. "Pain," said Naruto. "I want to ask you something."

Pain titled his head and looked at Naruto. "Uzumaki Naruto…" said Pain. "So that's your Sennin-mode, huh?"

Naruto grabbed Pain by the collar of his cloak. "Why are you betraying the Allied Shinobi Forces?! Why are you betraying your comrades?! You friends?! Your village?!"

"That's none of your concern," said Pain.

"Like hell it is!" said Naruto. He drew back his fist and punched Pain straight in the face. Pain's head snapped backwards, and his mask slightly cracked. "You're going to have to do better than that, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Answer me!" demanded Naruto.

"There's still a lot that you need to learn about true pain," said Pain. "Even if you learned about it from my sensei."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. "Your… sensei…?"

"Where do you think that he got the name 'Pain' from?"

"So Nagato… is your sensei?" said Naruto. "I never knew that he had a student!"

"Well, now you know," said Pain. He performed a couple of hand signs and slammed his hand on Naruto's chest. "Raiton: Lightning Charge!"

"AHHH!" cried Naruto as he released his grip on Pain.

Pain looked up at Gin, who was staring down at him. "Gin, let's go," said Pain.

"Got it, Pain-taichou," answered Gin.

"Axel!" said Pain.

"Got it," answered Axel, sticking out his tongue.

Pain jumped up onto Axel's tongue. "Hurry, Gin."

"PAIN!" yelled Ichigo as he and Kenpachi came running up next to Naruto.

Gin jumped down onto Axel's tongue and looked at Naruto. "Bye-bye!" said Gin, waving at Naruto and the others.

"Pain!" said Yoruichi as Pain executed a couple of hand seals. "Don't do this! You can still stop this right now!"

Pain paused and looked up at Yoruichi. "There's no turning back from this," said Pain. "Goodbye, Yoruichi."

POOF! Axel, along with Pain and Gin, disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Yoruichi and Yachiru landed on the water and looked at Naruto and the others. "Pain… He's gone," whispered Yoruichi, a sad look in her eyes.

"What do we do know?" said Naruto.

Ichigo shook his head and sighed. "Let's head for the Island Turtle first," he said. "After that, we'll report to our superiors on what just happened."

"Very well then," said Yoruichi.

Kenpachi sighed and rolled his neck. "Whatever," he said. "Let's go."

Yachiru jumped onto Kenpachi's back, and Naruto and the others continued off for the Island Turtle.

* * *

(The Hidden Rain Village)

Konan walked outside of the Six Paths of Pain's Tower, looking up at the sky. She suddenly smiled as she turned around. "So you came…"

"Konan-sensei…"

Pain and Gin walked out from behind the shadows, stopping right where the shadow ended. "We've come," said Pain, his Sharingan's glowing from behind the shadows.

* * *

**The next couple of chapters will be featuring the story of Pain! I'm pretty excited for the next two chapters if do I say so myself! Please leave reviews and leave any ideas or suggestions that you guys might have! Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10: The Story of Pain

"Izani" is just a nickname that Arya gave to Izanagi.

**Chapter 10: The Story of Pain**

(Konoha's War Room)

The Five Kage's and the Twelve Ninja Guardians had assembled together in Konoha's War Room after Ichigo, Yoruichi, and Kenpachi reported what had happened with Pain and Gin. "I can't believe it," said Tsunade. "This is-, I don't even know what to say…"

Raikage stared down at the table, his hands clenched tightly into a fist. "Pain… How dare he betray us!"

Samui had her head bowed, a sad look in her eyes. "Pain-sama…" she whispered. "Why? Why would you betray your own village?"

"I always knew that Gin was impossible to figure out, but to betray us…" said the Tsuchikage, closing his eyes and shaking his head. Kurotsuchi's eyes teared up, sighing deeply as she looked at the Tsuchikage. _Gin-san… Ever since I met you, I've always admired you and wanted to be like you. Everyone thought that you were strange and mysterious, but I liked that about you… I-, I-… I loved you…_

"Well, what's our next plan?" asked Komamura. "With two of the members of the Zero Squad gone, as well as two of the members from the Twelve Ninja Guardians gone as well, we're in for a whole lot of trouble."

"I don't know," said the Mizukage. "We'll have to formulate a better plan in order to counter the Akatsuki."

"Exactly," said the Raikage. "With Pain by his side, Madara will be almost unstoppable. You all have no idea just how strong Pain is."

"I don't get it though," said Sakura. "Why would such a strong and talented Shinobi betray his village?"

Ichigo sighed and walked over to the table. "I'll do it, Raikage," he said.

The Raikage looked at Ichigo. "Are you sure?"

Ichigo nodded. "Very well then," said the Raikage.

"What do you mean?" asked Temari. "Do what?"

Ichigo closed his eyes and sighed. "I'll tell you all the story of Pain."

* * *

(The Akatsuki's Hideout)

Deidara walked up to Madara, an annoyed look in his eyes. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked. "Why hasn't Pain or any of the other spies that he planted in the Allied Shinobi Forces come yet?"

Madara stared out the entrance, his face unreadable from behind his mask. _Pain… So you've done it after all, huh?_

Kakuzu walked over to Madara and Kabuto. "Madara," said Kakuzu.

"What is it?" asked Madara, turning around to face him.

"Uchiha Sasuke… is gone."

Madara clenched his hands tightly into fists. "Pain…" he quietly said to himself. "Have you really betrayed me?"

* * *

(Konoha's War Room)

Ichigo stared blankly at the floor. "The story of Pain…"

* * *

(Flashback: The Hidden Cloud Village)

_**Ichigo:**__ Pain told me his story as a pact of our friendship and brotherhood. A long time ago, well, approximetly nine years ago, he used to have a brother and sister. Their names were Izanagi and Arya…_

_13 years ago…_

"Pain!"

Pain turned around to see Arya, who was four at that time, running after him. "Onii-chan!" cried Arya in her little baby voice.

"Arya!" cried Pain, running up to her and lifting her up in the air.

"Mom said to come back home for dinner!" said Arya, shutting her eyes tightly and kicking the air furiously. "Let me go Onii-chan!"

When Pain finally let her down, Arya looked around. "Where's Izani?"

"I know," said Pain, grinning slightly. He walked over to a square rock that definitely looked fake and tapped on the front of it with his knuckles. "Owww!" whined the rock. "Stop it, Pain!"

"Let's go, Izanagi!" said Pain. "Mom said that it's time for dinner!"

"Alright alright!" said Izanagi, pulling the tan-colored blanket off of himself. He stood up and brushed the dirt off of his clothes. "Let's go!" he said. "I'll race you two there!"

_**Ichigo:**__ Pain and his siblings were very happy despite being foreigners in the Hidden Cloud Village. Pain's parents had pleaded with the Third Raikage to not reveal their true clan to anyone else, and they made sure that Pain understood that; but still, they were a very happy family indeed…_

* * *

(The Hidden Cloud Village's Academy)

_My first day at the academy,_ said Pain in his head. _I sure hope that I fit in well with the others._

Suddenly, Pain saw an orange-haired kid staring at him, surrounded by a group of kids.

_**Ichigo:**__ And that was when Yoruichi and I first met Pain…_

The orange-haired kid walked past the group of kids and walked over to where Pain was standing. "Who are you?" he asked, staring hard at Pain.

Pain met his gaze with unwavering eyes. "I'm Uch-, I mean, I'm Pain."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Pain, huh? That's a weird name."

A couple of girls whispered to themselves quietly while staring at Pain. "He's pretty cute," said a slightly dark-skinned, medium-length purple-haired girl. She wore a white robe that exposed her thighs, and she wore boots that came up to the lower bottom-portion of her thigh.

"You look way too young to be here," said Ichigo. "How old are you, kid?"

"I'm eight," said Pain.

Everyone in the room looked surprised. "Well, I'm ten, and so is Yoruichi over there," said Ichigo, jerking him thumb over at Yoruichi. "We're the two youngest-, well, I guess that's we're now the two _second_ youngest, kids in the academy."

"It's nice to meet you, Pain," said Yoruichi, walking up to Pain and sticking out her hand. "I'm Shihoin Yoruichi."

"It's nice to meet you too," said Pain, giving her a warm smile.

_**Ichigo:**__ Pain and Yoruichi became fast friends, and they sparred very often. Pain ended up graduating from the academy at the same time as us. He was only nine, while we were eleven. Pain and I became fast friends too, and he made many other friends too. He was always popular with everyone because of his child-like innocence and his charming manners. Many girls became obsessed with him, and he had a family that loved him very much indeed. Everything was going well for him; that is, until…_

* * *

(Near the Hidden Cloud Village's Academy)

_Two years later…_

Yoruichi ran up to Ichigo. "Where's Pain?!"

Ichigo looked down, a sad look in his eyes. "So you heard?"

Yoruichi nodded. "Poor Pain… For his parents to be killed in a skirmish with the Hidden Leaf Village… That was to be expected."

"Yea…" said Ichigo. "I guess so."

"So where's Pain?"

Ichigo jerked his head towards the right. Yoruichi looked up and saw Pain sitting on a giant rock sticking out of a cliff that lied behind the academy. He was hunched over, his face buried in his arms. The rain had soaked his hair and clothes, but he seemed oblivious to it all.

Yoruichi jumped onto the rock and sat beside Pain. "Pain… I-, I'm sorry," whispered Yoruichi.

Pain remained motionless. "How's your brother and sister?" asked Yoruichi. "They must be absolutely devastated."

Pain remained silent, not even moving the slightest bit to acknowledge Yoruichi's concern. "Listen Pain," said Yoruichi. "Even if your parents did die, you can still get ov-."

Yoruichi stopped as Pain titled his head to the right, revealing his right eye, which was bright-red with a tomoe located on the top right of each eye. Yoruichi's eyes widened in shock. _What's up with Pain's eye? T-They're… red!_

"It's ok, Yoruichi," said Pain. "I just need to be alone for a little bit."

Izanagi suddenly appeared behind them. "Pain, let's go," said Izanagi. "Arya wants you."

Pain slowly stood up and looked down at the ground. "Cya later, Yoruichi," he said. He jumped off the rock, Izanagi following him closely.

_**Ichigo:**__ From that day on, Pain had completely changed. He was no long the charming, smiling kid that everyone loved. He was a sad, silent kid who almost never talked. He had already experienced a great deal of pain at such a young age, so it took a huge toll on him. We had hoped that it was the end of that, and just when Pain was slowly starting to recover from his loss, a few years later, another incident happened, and because of that, Pain's former self was crushed completely…_

* * *

(Near Pain's House)

_Four years later…_

"Let's go, Izanagi!"

"I'm coming!" said Izanagi. "Don't be all cocky just because you're faster than me, Pain!"

Pain laughed and pushed himself off a tree branch with his legs, propelling himself into the air. Izanagi laughed as well, trying to catch up to Pain. Izanagi was still laughing when he saw that Pain had stopped. "What's wrong, Pain?" asked Izanagi, stopping right beside him.

Pain pointed at a giant cloud of smoke that was about five-hundred feet away from them. "Isn't that from the direction of our house?" asked Pain.

A few seconds later, Pain and Izanagi slowly turned their heads to look at each other. "Arya…" whispered Pain, his eyes widening in shock.

"Arya!" said Izanagi. "Let's go!"

Pain nodded, and with that, Pain and Izanagi raced for their house as fast as they could. When they reached their house, they stopped in front of it, a look of shock plastered on their faces.

Their house was completely destroyed, and the right side of the house had caught on fire. "ARYA!" yelled Pain, running into the house.

"Wait!" said Izanagi.

Pain ignored him and ran into the house. Izanagi shook his head and ran after him. "Pain, wait for me!"

Izanagi caught up to Pain, who was kneeling next to Arya. She was on her hands and knees, covered in dust and bruised all over. "Arya!" said Izanagi. "Are you alright?"

"Onii-chan," said Arya. "Behind you."

Pain turned around to see five figures standing behind him. "Well well well," said one of them. "What do we have here?"

"It seems that we've got some visitors," said another. "This isn't good at all… For you, that is."

"Please," said Pain. "Just leave us alone! Just take what you want and leave!"

The figure in the front grinned at Pain. "Just for saying that, I'm going to kill you little boy."

Pain fell backwards, unable to move, shocked at what was happening. "No," said Arya, struggling to stand up. "Please, kill me instead."

Pain looked at Arya, his eyes wide. "Arya! What are you saying? Get back!"

"Please," said Arya, ignoring Pain. "Kill me instead. Just leave my brother alone."

"Very well then," said the figure in the front. He jerked his head at the others, who then walked over to Pain and Izanagi, grabbing them by the arms and forcing them to watch as the first figure drew a sword from behind his back. "Cya later, little girl," said the figure.

"NOOO!" screamed Pain.

"ARYA!" screamed Izanagi.

A few seconds later, the other figures released Pain and Izanagi and walked out of the house with the first figure, leaving Arya lying on the floor.

"ARYA!" screamed Pain, crawling over to her.

Arya was lying on the floor, her hair messily strewn all over her face. She had cuts and scratched all over her face and body, and she was lying in a pool of blood. "No…" whispered Pain, stepping back and falling on the floor. "Arya… why...?"

"O-Onii-chan," whispered Arya. "Is that you…?"

"Arya!" said Pain. "Arya, just stay put and don't talk! I'll get some help!"

"N-No…" whispered Arya. "Onii-chan… I'm going to die soon… It's useless to get help now…"

Pain narrowed his eyes as his Sharingan's activated, the two tomoe's spinning faster and faster until all three tomoe's fully formed in each eye. "I'll kill them…" whispered Pain. He stood up and looked at Izanagi. "Izanagi, let's go."

Izanagi nodded and stood up, drawing a kunai from his ninja tool bag. "N-No…" whispered Arya.

Pain's eyes widened as he looked down at Arya. "What are you saying, Arya? What those men did to you is unforgivable!"

"Please," said Arya. "Onii-chan… Ever since mom and dad died, all I've wanted was peace… A time when we could live together as a family and not have to worry about fighting and war… So Onii-chan… Promise me this one thing…"

"I promise!" said Pain. "Just name it, Arya!"

"Leave those men alone…" whispered Arya.

Izanagi's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"Please just forgive them," said Arya. "Onii-chan… Izani… Forgive those men, and from now on, fight for peace… for me… I know that you two can do it… It's all that I've ever wanted for us as a family…"

Pain and Izanagi closed their eyes and bowed their heads. "Very well then," whispered Pain. "For you, Arya, I promise that Izanagi and I will fight to obtain true peace. A world where there's no more fighting and wars… Just like how you wanted…"

Arya smiled slightly and closed her eyes, taking her final breath as she drifted off into eternal sleep. Pain and Izanagi opened their eyes, their Sharingan's slowly changing. Pain's tomoe's spun faster and faster, seemingly creating ripples in his eyes until they took the form of a red Rinnegan. Izanagi's tomoe's spun faster and faster, becoming much more edged and sharp until it stopped, leaving him with a seemingly enhanced version of the Sharingan.

Pain and Izanagi had finally awakened their Mangekyo Sharingan's.

* * *

**Changes:**

**- I personally think that Masashi Kishimoto, (or whoever is the owner of the Naruto information website), messed up on Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan's age (just my opinion), as they all look extremely young for their age, (except for Nagato until we get to the episode where Naruto and Killer Bee fight Nagato and Itachi.**

**- In my story, Yahiko died at the age of 19. The reason for this is because everyone looks older than they actually are, (like for example, I thought that Naruto and the others graduated at like 13 or 14, and in Naruto Shippuden, they all look like they're 17 or 18).**

**- I'm going to basically change the "time" of the timeline for my story, (I promise that it WON'T screw up the actual storyline at all), so Nagato and Konan are around 26 or 27.**

**- If there are any complaints about this, then please feel free to PM me or leave a review as long as you don't sound like you're completely hating on me. Just being a little harsh would be fine. Thanks!**


	11. Chapter 11: Meeting

**Chapter 11: Meeting**

Pain and Izanagi had finally awakened their Mangekyo Sharingan's…

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock. "So Pain possesses the Mangekyo Sharingan too?!"

Ichigo nodded. "Yea, he does."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "So now we're in for even _more_ trouble."

"Trust me, Kakashi-san," said Yoruichi. "You have absolutely _no idea_ just how strong Pain's Mangekyo Sharingan is."

"Anyways, as I was saying," said Ichigo. "Pain and Izanagi had finally awakened their Mangekyo Sharingan's…"

* * *

(Flashback: The Hidden Cloud Village)

"What's this power that I'm feeling?" said Izanagi, staring at his hands. "I suddenly feel…"

Pain narrowed his eyes. _So __**this**__ is the Mangekyo Sharingan…_

_**Ichigo:**__ So by this point, Pain and Izanagi had grown much stronger than they already were because of their Mangekyo Sharingan's. Pain told me everything about both of their Mangekyo Sharingan's. Izanagi's Mangekyo Sharingan allowed him to use Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo to their full potential with very minimal chakra usage, and his eyesight didn't deteriorate as fast as Pain's did. Pain's Mangekyo Sharingan, however, allowed him to master all five basic nature transformations as well as two of the Rinnegan's most powerful jutsu's- Shinra Tensei and Bansho Ten'in._

_Tsunade's eyes widened in shock as she though back to them Pain destroyed the village with Chibaku Tensei. "That's… impossible…" she whispered. "Just how strong is Pain?"_

_**Ichigo:**__ After that day, Yoruichi and I noticed that Pain was just a cold, empty shell of who he once was. Also, during that time, the Hidden Rain Village worked together with the Hidden Stone Village in order to try and destroy the Hidden Cloud Village by launching a full-scale war on us. Pain, Izanagi, Yoruichi, and I were all in one platoon, with Pain with being the captain of our team. We were facing Hanzo, the leader of the Hidden Rain Village, and his own personal platoon…_

* * *

Hanzo looked down at the four Hidden Cloud ninja's from his salamander, his arms crossed. Pain was kneeling on the ground, Izanagi's arms around his neck. Yoruichi was standing, facing Hanzo with Ichigo's arms around her neck. _He's so strong!_ said Yoruichi to herself in her head. _I can't believe that he's managed to push all four of us this far!_

"I'm impressed," said Hanzo. "Especially you there on the left. Pain, was it?"

Pain glared at him, his eyes full of hatred. "Izanagi," he said, still glaring at Hanzo. "I'm going to place you down for just a second."

"Don't bother," said Hanzo. "If we keep fighting, then it's only going to end with my victory. You're strong, but you're still not strong enough to defeat me. Grow stronger, and then come and seek me out. We will settle this then."

Hanzo quickly performed a couple of hand signs. "Farewell, you four. Body Flicker Jutsu!"

And with that, he disappeared, his salamander disappearing a second later. "Izanagi!" said Pain, looking down at him. "Are you alright?"

"P-Pain…" whispered Izanagi. "T-That Hanzo… My wound… I'm not going to make it, Pain…"

Pain closed his eyes, tears slowly forming in his eyes. "You can't die on me, Izanagi," whispered Pain, the tears slowly leaking out of his eyes. "You're the only family that I have left."

Izanagi grinned and turned his head, coughing out some blood. "After this, Pain… It's all up to you… You're the one that's going to bring true peace into this world… I just know it… So Pain, don't give up… No matter what happens, think of me and Arya…"

"Izanagi…" whispered Yoruichi.

"Also… Pain… As your last family member, I guess that it's only fair that I give you a gift before I leave…"

Pain's eyes widened. "A gift?"

"Pain… I-… I know that your eyes are close to being almost used up… and that's y… I want you to have my eyes, Pain… That way, even though I can't be here with you physically, I can still be your eyes..."

"Goodbye, Izanagi," said Pain, his voice full of loneliness and despair.

"Goodbye, Pain," whispered Izanagi, closing his eyes.

_**Ichigo:**__ After that incident, Pain took Izanagi's eyes as his own, and he awakened his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. He became even stronger than before, and many thought of him as the next Raikage, but then one day, he just suddenly disappeared..._

(End of Flashback)

* * *

(The Hidden Rain Village)

Pain looked up at the sky, the rain gently beating against his mask as he thought back to when he first came here.

* * *

(Flashback: the Hidden Rain Village)

The body of a Hidden Rain ninja fell to the ground, his throat slightly caved in from being crushed. Pain slowly walked past him and a couple of other bodies that was strewn all over the area and entered the village. _Infiltration complete._

He turned his head to the right as he heard a distant explosion from the far right corner of the village. _A battle? I wonder who it could be…_

Pain crouched down and slightly placed his index and middle fingers on the ground. _These chakra's… Seven powerful chakra's, and… Hanzo!_

Pain stood up and stared at the smoke that was rising from the far right corner of the village. Large spirals appeared in the air, slowly rotating at first, and then rotating faster and faster until Pain had been completely sucked into the center of the rotating spirals.

When Pain materialized at the spot where Hanzo was at, he studied and took in the scene that was before him. Hanzo was kneeling on the ground, covered in scratches and blood. Twenty feet in front of him was six very pale cloaked figures, and the strange thing about them was that they all had orange hair. Behind them was an attractive, shoulder-length blue-haired woman dressed in the same cloak that the other six were dressed in. Pain looked through the very thin and almost unnoticeable slits that he had made on his ANBU Black Op's mask. _Sharingan!_

As Pain glanced over the six figures, his eyes widened in shock. _They're… dead! Those six people are actually dead bodies! Just what's going on here?_

Pain quietly slipped behind a nearby pillar and observed the battle from behind there. Hanzo shakily stood up and performed a couple of hand seals. "Suiton: Water Storm Jutsu!"

Pain looked up to see the sky darkening as gray rain clouds appeared in the sky. Suddenly, thousands of little drops of rain shot down from the sky, speeding towards the area that Hanzo and Pain were at. Hanzo jumped out of the way as the ground exploded as the rain made contact with the ground. When the smoke finally cleared up, a shock look appeared on Hanzo's face as he saw the six figures standing there, unharmed. "Dammit," said Hanzo. "That special ability of yours is getting really annoying."

"Hanzo," said the orange-haired figure in the front. _He sort of looks like an older version of me,_ said Pain in his head.

"Hanzo," repeated the orange-haired figure, slowly lifting up his right arm. "This is the end. Shinra Tensei!"

As Pain watched, Hanzo suddenly shot back into the air, crashing through the wall of the building that stood behind him. Pain narrowed his eyes. _That's __**my**__ jutsu! Just what's going on here?_

The six figures suddenly teleported to the front of the building, jumping in through the hole that Hanzo made when he crashed through the wall. A couple of minutes later, there was an explosion from inside of the building. As Pain watched, the six figures jumped out of the hole and walked over to the blue-haired woman. Pain clenched his fists tightly for a brief second and then released them. "The Deva Path is unstoppable," said the first orang-haired figure.

"Oh, and by the way," he added. "You can come out now."

Pain slowly walked out from behind the pillar and walked five steps forward, stopping fifteen feet in front of the seven figures. "You…" said Pain. "I was supposed to kill Hanzo."

"You're young," said the Deva Path. "I can tell that you're no more than 15 years old, and yet, you're confident enough to take on Hanzo?"

"Do you want to try me?" asked Pain coldly.

The small and weak looking figure stepped forward along with the tall and long-haired figure. The tall figure suddenly sped towards Pain, drawing back his fist for a blow. As his fist seemed to connect with Pain's face, it suddenly went _through_ him instead, causing the tall figure to look back in shock as he fell through Pain. Pain turned around and grabbed him by the arms, swiftly kicking the back of his knees so that he fell to the ground, unable to move his legs. The other six figures widened their eyes in shock as the tall figure was swiftly dispatched of. _This kid…_ thought the Deva Path.

"Bansho Ten'in!" said Pain, lifting his arm. The blue-haired woman looked at Pain with a look of disbelief on her face. "Impossible…!" she whispered.

The short and weak looking figure suddenly flew towards Pain, unable to counter the jutsu. Pain grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the ground, small pieces of rocks flying everywhere as the short figure was slammed three inches into the ground. Pain grabbed his neck and twisted it, breaking his neck. "I'm in a very bad mood," said Pain. "Now, do you want to keep doing this?"

The Deva Path looked at Pain with a curious look in his eyes. "Who are you, kid?"

Pain slowly took off his mask and looked at the Deva Path. "My name is Pain. Uchiha Pain."

The Deva Path and the blue-haired woman stared at Pain in shock. "Y-You…" whispered the Deva Path.

The blue-haired woman stared at Pain with a longing look in her eyes. _H-He looks just like…_

"Yahiko…" whispered the Deva Path.

"So this body is Yahiko's?" asked Pain, waving his hand at the Deva Path.

"How did you know?" asked the Deva Path.

"My Sharingan sees all," said Pain.

"I see…" said the Deva Path. "What are you doing here, young one?"

"I came to kill Hanzo," said Pain coldly.

"But for what reason?" asked the orange-haired figure. "I highly doubt that you wanted to kill him just for fun."

Pain looked at the Deva Path with a menacing look in his eyes. "He killed my brother, who was all I had left."

The Deva Path and the blue-haired woman's eyes widened in shock. "So you're all alone?" asked the Deva Path.

"Yes," said Pain. "I'm… completely alone now."

"So what will you do from here on out?" asked the orange-haired figure.

"I will continue to try and carry out my sister's legacy, which she left to me," said Pain.

The Deva Path looked at him. "And that would be?" he asked.

Pain looked up into the Deva Path's face with a sad look in his eyes. "To bring peace into this world."

The Deva Path and the blue-haired woman both looked down, a sad and bitter look in their eyes. "Peace, huh?" said the Deva Path softly.

"Yahiko…" whispered the woman.

"Pain," said the Deva Path. "How would you like to come and join the Akatsuki?"

Pain narrowed his eyes. "The Akatsuki?"

"Yes," said the orange-haired figure. "It's an organization that Yahiko had created a long time ago in order to bring peace into this world."

Pain's eyes widened. "Peace?"

"Yes," said the blue-haired woman. "So what do you say, Pain?"

Pain closed his eyes and thought back to the day that Arya had died.

"_Onii-chan… Izani… Forgive those men, and from now on, fight for peace… for me… I know that you two can do it… It's all that I've ever wanted for us as a family…"_

Pain opened his eyes. "What are your names?" he asked, looking up at the Deva Path and Konan.

"My name is Nagato," answered the Deva Path.

"My name is Konan," answered Konan, smiling gently at Pain.

The five figures that were standing in the back slowly walked up and stood next to Nagato and Konan. Nagato-, or rather, the Deva Path, stretched out his hand, which Pain took and gripped tightly.

"Welcome to the Akatsuki."


	12. Chapter 12: Enter! The Espadas!

**Chapter 12: Enter! The Espadas!**

(The Hidden Rain Village)

"Pain."

Pain snapped out of his flashback and turned around to see Konan standing behind him. "Oh, it's you," said Pain. "What is it?"

"He's here," said Konan. "He arrived just a couple of minutes ago."

"I see,' said Pain. "I'll be there shortly."

Konan nodded and walked back into the Six Paths of Pain's Tower. Pain sighed and slowly walked back inside, slipping through the floor and landing onto the floor below. On the bottom floor, there were fifty figures hidden by the shadows, standing up or sitting down. The bottom floor was 200 feet long and 100 feet wide, and in the front of the room was a small, stage-like elevated floor with stairs that was 20 feet long and 20 feet wide, and on there was a throne that rested in the very back. Gin and Tosen stood on either side of the throne, while Aizen stood in the back.

Pain slowly sat down on the chair, sighing as he looked around the room. In front of him was Konan, along with another figure that was hidden by the shadows. "Espadas," said Pain slowly. "Arrancars. Please help me in welcoming the newest member of our group…"

The figure next to Konan slowly opened his eyes, revealing a glowing pair of red eyes with the design of overlapping oval eclipses with a three-bladed shuriken in the middle.

"Uchiha… Sasuke…"

* * *

(Konoha)

"So Pain possesses the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, huh?" said Kakashi. "Then he's definitely far stronger that I suspected him to be."

"So what does this mean?" asked Komamura. "Are we just giving up?"

"No," said Tsunade. "As of now, no one in the Allied Shinobi Forced even has a _chance_ of defeating Pain expect for Ichigo over here. Our only hope is to train Naruto and hope for the best."

"Ichigo," said the Raikage.

"Yea, Raikage?" said Ichigo, turning to face him.

"You're going to have to train too. You know that, right?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I do, but to be honest, Raikage, I don't know how I can become any stronger than I already am."

"Just wait a minute," said the Tsuchikage, floating over to where Ichigo and the Raikage were. "There's something about you, Ichigo… I had suspected this ever since I met you, but I wasn't sure of it until now."

Byakuya nodded and stood up from his seat. "I think I know what you're talking about, Tsuchikage."

The Tsuchikage pulled out three small pieces of paper from his ninja tool bag and handed all three of them to Ichigo. "Hold these between your fingers and concentrate on focusing your chakra into them."

Ichigo took the papers and nodded, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply. Five seconds later, the piece of paper on the far left crumbled into ashes, while the one in the middle and the one on the far right sliced in half and crumbled up, respectively. "I thought so," said Tsuchikage, nodding.

"Impossible…" whispered the Mizukage. "Another Kekkei Touta user?"

"This makes three of us," said Byakuya. "Congratulations, Kurosaki."

"So what does this mean?" asked Ichigo.

"It _means_ that once you master your Kekkei Touta, your power will be increased by almost twentyfold."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Twentyfold…?"

"That's right," said Byakuya, nodding. "Kekkei Genkai's have been said to increase the power of a Shinobi by tenfold, while Kekkei Touta's have been said to increase the power of a Shinobi by _twentyfold_."

"I see…" said Ichigo. "So how long does it take to master ones Kekkei Touta?"

"Well," said the Tsuchikage. "For me, it took ten years to fully master mine."

Byakuya nodded. "It took me around 8 years to fully master mine."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "But we don't have that much time."

Kakashi stood up. "Excuse me," he said, raising his hand up mid-way up to his face. "I think that I can help Ichigo-san out with that problem."

* * *

(The Six Paths of Pain's Tower: The Meeting Room)

Ten figures walked into the meeting room and sat down on the polished white marble table. Pain sat in the front seat, while Gin and Tosen stood on either side of him. The figures all wore white outfits, although they were all different. One was tall and slim with fairly long shoulder-length, dark-brown hair and blue-gray eyes, with a faded goatee to top it all off. He wore a black outlined white jacket with an upturned collar. He wore a black sash around his waist, and he wore white gloves. His completed his look with a fanged bottom jaw that he wore around his neck.

There was a stocky and muscular elderly man with a white mustache and white hair. His face had two large scars; one across his right eye and another on the left side of his chin. He was slightly dark-skinned, and he had a slouched slightly, completing his elderly-person look. He wore a white leather coat which was lined by black fur, with golden wrist bands on both of his wrists and a five-pointed crown of bones just above his forehead.

The next person was a slightly dark-skinned female with blonde hair and green eyes. She wore a white jacket with the collar around her neck, slightly covering the bottom half of her face. The jacket covered the top half of her well-formed figure while exposing her stomach.

The next figure was the tall and sickly-white green-eyed ninja from the Hidden Cloud Village. He had a broken horned helmet made of bone lying on the left side of his head.

The person next to him was a very tall and thin man, with very long black hair and black eyes. He had a large eye patch that covered his left eye, and he had a very large and creepy smile on his face. He had a jacket that exposed most of his body, ending at the waist. He completed his look with a large spoon-like hood.

The most unique and noticeable person out of the entire group was a tall and fairly muscular man with light-blue spiked up hair and light-blue eyes with green lines below them. He wore a white jacket with an upturned collar, with his sleeves rolled up and his jacket exposing his chest. He completed his look with a right jawbone that was somehow attached to the right side of his jaw.

The rest of the group consisted of four more people. There was a very dark-skinned man with a row of spiked bones on his head, similar to a Mohawk hairstyle. The next person had shoulder-length pink hair and amber eyes. He completed his look with rectangular-framed glasses which was made out of bone.

The person next to him was a figure whose face was covered by an elongated white mask covered with eight holes in the front, completed with a large line down the middle of it. He wore a very fancy frilly white coat completed with white gloves. The last person, who was also seated at the very end of the table, was a very tall and large muscular dark-skinned man with a ridge-lined cranium, brown eyes, and black hair, which ended in a thin ponytail that reached his upper-back. Other than that and his bushy sideburns, he was bald. He completed his look with a jawbone, which rested on his chin.

The only similar thing between the ten figures, besides the white outfits, was the fact that they all had a steel bracelet on each of their right wrists.

Sasuke was in the way back of the room behind Pain, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "Why have you called us here, Pain?" asked Sasuke.

"This is a meeting to discuss where we are standing today," said Pain. "As of now, we, the Hidden Rain Village, are official enemies of the Akatsuki and the Allied Shinobi Forces. Be wary, and don't let your guard down."

The blue-haired figure scoffed. "Like we would. Those stupid Allied Shinobi pieces of crap aren't even worth our time."

"Be careful, Grimmjow," said Pain. "They might seem like they're weak, but don't underestimate the Twelve Ninja Guardians. With their forces, they're able to match the strength of the Espadas."

Grimmjow's eyes widened. "What? Those losers? Just send me to take care of those weaklings, Pain-sama. I can handle them all by myself."

"You speak too much," said the blonde-haired woman on his left. "You should talk less and listen more. Pain-sama knows what he's talking about."

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes at her. "What was that, Harribel?"

"Are deaf as well as stupid?"

"Calm down, you two," said the green-eyed Espada.

"Stay out of this, Ulquiorra," said Grimmjow.

"Grimmjow."

Grimmjow's eyes widened at the sound of Pain's voice. "Is there a problem?" asked Pain quietly.

"N-No, Pain-sama," said Grimmjow, slightly bowing his head in respect. "I apologize."

"Good," said Pain. "Now, Aizen."

"Fellow Espadas," said Aizen, walking up to the table from behind the shadows. "As of where we stand right now, if the Akatsuki and the Allied Shinobi Forces were to join together to take us out, we would suffer devastating casualties. In order to avoid this, we must focus our attention on our prime objective- Uzumaki Naruto."

Everyone in the room glanced at each other, a confused look on each of their faces. "Why Uzumaki Naruto?" asked Harribel.

"That's an excellent question, Tier," said Aizen. "Let me try to explain it as clearly as possible. Right now, Uzumaki Naruto is able to fight par-on-par with our Espada Three because of his Sennin-mode; so basically, he can easily take out our fellow Espada's Six through Ten."

The lazy Espada looked up at Aizen. "Oh really? This is going to be even more annoying than I thought," he said, closing his eyes and sighing.

Baraggan, the white-haired old man, scoffed at the lazy Espada. "You should be more alert, Starrk," he said. "As an Espada, it's your job to not screw up. Pain is counting on you."

"I know I know," said Starrk. "Anyways, continue, Aizen-san."

Aizen nodded. "As I was saying. Uzumaki Naruto is our prime objective. Pain-taichou has given five of us the task of carrying out his plans. The members for this team will be Gin, Tosen, Ulquiorra, Nnoitra, and Grimmjow. You primary objective is to secure and capture our target- Uzumaki Naruto. Everyone else is to be disposed of if necessary."

Nnoitra, the long-haired Espada with the creepy smile, stood up and stretched out his arms. "Ahhh!" he said. "Time to let loose before we head out! By the way, Aizen-san, when would that be?"

Aizen smiled at him. "Right now."

Nnoitra looked at Aizen blankly for a brief second. "Oh… Dammit."

* * *

(Turtle Island)

Naruto stared out into the sunset from inside of his room. _Why am I getting this feeling all of a sudden? Something's going to happen soon, and it's not going to be good._

Knock knock! Naruto turned to look at the door. "Come in," he said.

The door slowly opened, revealing Yamato and Guy standing in the doorway. "Oy, Yamato-taichou! Bushy-Brows-sensei!"

"Oy, Naruto!" said Guy enthusiastically. "How have you been? Was your journey alright?"

Yamato slightly nudged Guy's side with his elbows. "Uh, Guy," whispered Yamato.

"Oh, right!" said Guy. "So, uh… Did your trip go well, Naruto?"

"Geez," said Yamato, covering his hand with his face.

THUD! Naruto and the others quickly spun around and rushed to the windowsill. There they saw a long trail of smoke rising from the opposite end of the Turtle Island. All three of them turned their heads to face each other. "Let's go and check it out," said Naruto.

"Right!" said Yamato and Guy.

* * *

(In the Opposite Direction of the Eight-Tails Dormitory)

"You shouldn't make so much noise. I knew that we shouldn't have brought you along. Pain-sama must have been crazy to place you on this team for this mission."

"Oy, don't go blaming me you idiot. I have to cut loose ya know."

"Oh, shut up you two."

"What was that, Grimmjow?"

Grimmjow turned around and swiftly stuck out his hand, grabbing a Hidden Cloud Shinobi by the throat. "I said shut up," he said, squeezing the Hidden Cloud Shinobi's neck tighter and tighter with each passing second.

The ninja struggled to pry Grimmjow's hand off his throat, but he failed to, and his body soon went limp, his hands dangling loosely from his sides. "Anyways, let's get going," said Grimmjow. "It's getting late."

"You're right," said Tosen. "We've already wasted enough time here."

"Well," said Nnoitra. "We're finally here."

Grimmjow crouched down and stretched out his legs, while Nnoitra rested his dual-crescent-axe-blade on his right shoulder. Gin, Tosen, Ulquiorra, and other figures stood up straight and stared off into the direction of the Eight-Tails Dormitory, a calm but serious look in all five of their eyes.

"Infiltration complete."


	13. Chapter 13: Uzumaki Naruto, Captured!

For Killer Bee's rapping, I'm not really going to be putting much in my story, but the ones that I _do_ put in my story will basically be the ones from the anime, only just a little bit different.

**Chapter 13: Uzumaki Naruto, Captured!**

Naruto and the others arrived at the site, a look of shock appearing on their face as they saw what was before their eyes. All around the area were the scattered bodies of the ninja's that were sent over from the Hidden Cloud Village in order to guard the Island Turtle, and behind the scattered bodies were seven figures dressed in white. "Who are you guys?" asked Yamato, narrowing his eyes and he pulled out a kunai from his ninja tool bag.

"NARUTO!"

Naruto and the others turned around to see Ichigo, Yoruichi, Kenpachi, and Killer Bee running towards them. "Oy, Na-ru-to!" asked Killer Bee. "What's goin on over here?"

"Wait a second!" said Naruto. "Gin-ojisan!"

"That's Tosen!" said Yamato. "He was one of the members of the Twelve Ninja Guardians!"

"There is no need to fight," stated Tosen calmly. "Give us what we want peacefully, and we can all leave without having to suffer anymore unnecessary casualties."

"Like hell we will!" said Guy. "Prepare yourself! You five will get a taste of the explosion of youth!"

Nnoitra's grin grew even larger. "This guy amuses me. I'll take him."

"So each man to themselves, huh?" said Ulquiorra as he glanced over at Naruto. "Very well then. Take whoever you wish, but don't overdo it. Our target is the Kyuubi's guardian. Everyone else is just a bother, but don't drag out the fight."

"Ichigo," said Yoruichi, looking at him from the corner of her eyes. "You sit this one out. I don't want you killing the Island Turtle."

Ichigo closed his eyes and sighed. "Very well then."

"Kill them all," ordered Ulquiorra.

The air suddenly turned alive as everyone rushed at one another, engaging in battle. "You're mine, idiot!" yelled Nnoitra, swinging down his crescent axe down on Guy.

Guy dodged the axe and kicked the flat of the blade, causing Nnoitra to stagger as the axe went flying through the air. "FEEL THE POWER OF YOUTH!" yelled Guy passionately, landing a series of punches and kicks on Nnoitra.

"WHAT?!" cried Guy dramatically, stepping back in shock. "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!"

Nnoitra stood up straight and chuckled quietly to himself. "Is that all you got, idiot?"

* * *

Naruto ducked to the side, dodging a blow from one of the two unknown figures. He rushed at him and performed a handstand in mid-run, twisting over and kicking the figure in the chest. The figure went flying, crashing into a rock three feet away from him. "Ugh," groaned the figure, shaking his head. "You're pretty good," he said. "I should've expected this, as you're a Jinchuuriki."

The figure had medium-length messy dark-brown hair and dark-brown eyes. He was about as tall as Naruto, as he carried a small sword on his back. "Who are you?" asked Naruto.

The figure grinned at Naruto. "I'm Arrancar Twenty-Five, and one of Grimmjow's Fraccion members," he said. "Jugger."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Jugger, huh? Well, what do you guys want with Yamato-taichou?"

"Oh, nothing much," said Jugger. "Anyways, you may be good, but you're definitely not good enough to take Grimmjow."

"Grimmjow?" Naruto looked confused. "Who's Grimmjow?"

Jugger pointed to Grimmjow, who was busy fighting Yamato. "_That's_ Grimmjow."

"Oh wait," said Naruto. "So as the twenty-fifth Arrancar, you're the twenty-fifth strongest member of the Arrancars, right?"

Jugger closed his eyes and shook his head. "Nope. Twenty-five is just my number. Our numbers have nothing to do with how strong we are- that is, until you get to Arrancar Ten."

"Arrancar Ten? What do you mean, until you get to Arrancar Ten?"

"Hmmm…" Jugger rubbed his chin. "How should I explain this? Well, I guess that I should start by mentioning that there are a total of fifty Arrancars."

"Fifty?" said Naruto, a surprised look on his face.

"Yes,' said Jugger. "Fifty. From Arrancar's Eleven to Fifty, we are all just a bunch of Chunin-level ninja's, with a couple of Jonin-level ninja's inside of the mix. From Arrancar Ten and up, however, it's a whole new different story."

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto.

"Well, you see," said Jugger. "From Arrancar's Ten and up, and they are all ranked based on their strengths, and they're called the Espada's. So Arrancar Ten is the weakest, with Arrancar One being the strongest. Oh, and let me just mention this. Compared to the Espada's, our powers don't even register."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"That's right," laughed Jugger. "You guys are screwed. Oh, and I should probably mention that there are _three_ Espada's here with us. Grimmjow is Espada _Six_, by the way. Espada Six, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."

Naruto looked at Grimmjow, who seemed to be winning in his fight against Yamato. "He can even hold his own against Yamato-taichou, and it looks like he's even _winning_," said Naruto. "Is he seriously just number _six_?"

"That's right," said Jugger. "You guys should have never come here. Now your precious Yamato-taichou is gonna die, along with everyone else on this island."

* * *

Guy narrowed his eyes._ What's going on here? I know for sure that I landed a couple of solid blows on him, but he doesn't seem to have been affected by it at all!_

"AHHH!" yelled Guy, charging at Nnoitra.

Guy jumped into the air and swiftly disappeared, appearing behind Nnoitra, who just stood still as Guy kicked him in the back. The force of the kick caused the air to slightly tremble, but all Nnoitra did was budge forward five inches. "YOU'RE DEAD, IDIOT!" yelled Nnoitra, swinging his axe at Guy with all of his strength.

Guy pulled out a kunai just in time and blocked Nnoitra's axe right before it made contact with him. Nnoitra grinned viciously. Guy's eyes widened in shock as his kunai shattered into thousands of tiny pieces, slicing deep into Guy's chest. Guy was thrown back over fifty feet by the force of the swing, crashing _through_ a couple of trees before crashing into a rock with a loud THUD.

Nnoitra suddenly seemed to shimmer for a brief second before he disappeared and reappeared in front of Guy.

"Just who are you?" asked Guy weakly.

"Who, me?" said Nnoitra. He stuck out his tongue, revealing a tattoo of the number five on his tongue. "I'm Espada Five, Nnoitra Gilga!"

"Espada… Five…?" Guy struggled to get up, but he plopped back down on the ground, too weak to even stand. "I let my guard down… How foolish of me."

"That's right," said Nnoitra, grinning at Guy. "But it's too late now, idiot. You're dead."

"W-What…?"

Nnoitra performed a couple of hand seals and stuck out his tongue. A small golden orb appearing on the tip of his tongue, growing larger and larger with each passing second. Nnoitra's eyes suddenly grew wide, a vicious look appearing in his eyes. "CERO!"

FWOOMP! The golden orb suddenly shot out from Nnoitra's tongue with a laser-like sound, expanding until it was almost ten feet wide. THUD! Everyone turned around to see Guy engulfed in a golden laser-like attack. "BUSHY-BROWS-SENSEI!" cried Naruto.

"I wouldn't be worrying about him if I were you!"

Naruto turned around to see Jugger rushing at him, a kunai in his hand. POOF! Jugger stopped right in front of Naruto as he suddenly turned into a cloud of smoke. "A Shadow Clone, huh?"

"It's over," said a voice behind him.

Jugger turned around, but there was no one behind him. "Huh?"

"In front of you."

Jugger turned back around to see Naruto right in front of him, but there was something off about him. "Your eyes… Frog-like eyes, and orange marks around your eyes…"

* * *

Grimmjow punched Yamato in the face and sent him flying into a tree. POOF! Grimmjow scoffed and turned around to see Naruto suddenly appearing in front of Jugger. "That Jugger's taking way too long," said Grimmjow. He narrowed his eyes, staring hard at Naruto's face. "There's something off about him. His eyes… Oh crap! JUGGER! GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE YOU IDIOT!"

Jugger turned and saw Grimmjow yelling at him. "Grimmjow?"

Naruto's eyes seemed to burn with anger. Jugger stepped back and fell on the ground, trying to crawl away from Naruto. "W-What are y-you going t-to do?"

"You guys are going to pay for what you did to Bushy-Brows-sensei," said Naruto through clenched teeth. A white-blue orb appeared on the palm of Naruto's right hand, spinning faster and faster with each passing second. "Senpo: Oodama Rasengan!"

"NOOO!" screamed Jugger.

* * *

Ulquiorra dodged a punch from Yoruichi, who then jumped into the air and brought her leg up, intending to destroy Ulquiorra with one move. "How foolish," said Ulquiorra calmly. He slowly lifted up his finger and pointed it at Yoruichi, who narrowed her eyes. _What's he going to do?_

Ulquiorra stared at Yoruichi lazily, and then he snapped his fingers, the sound echoing throughout the area.

"Cero."

FWOOMP! A dark-green orb shot out from Ulquiorra's fingers, expanding and engulfing Yoruichi in its green light. "Crap!" cried Yoruichi.

"Yoruichi!" cried Ichigo.

When the Cero wore off, Ulquiorra looked up at the sky and scoffed. "She's gone."

He looked around and pinpointed everyone's positions. _Everyone is at least approximetly 30 - 50 feet away from the target. It's time to proceed to the final phase of the mission._

"Tosen-san," he said, calling the blind ninja over to his side.

"What is it, Ulquiorra?" asked Tosen, walking over to Ulquiorra.

"Let's get this over with. Everyone's in position."

Tosen nodded, drawing a unique white kunai from his ninja tool bag. He held it up to his face and flicked the flat of the blade with his finger. A metallic echo rang throughout the area, causing everyone to look up in confusion. Naruto, who had released Sennin-mode, looked over at Tosen. "Huh? What was that?"

Suddenly, Nnoitra, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and the second unknown figure teleported from where they were standing and appeared next to Naruto, surrounding him. "It's over, Uzumaki Naruto," said Ulquiorra. He quickly performed a couple of hand seals and slammed his hands together. "Katon: Fire Prison."

A prison of flames, twenty by twenty, suddenly appeared around the five of them. "What's going on here?!" asked Naruto.

Ulquiorra quickly executed another array of hand seals and remained silent. Naruto quickly braced himself and rushed at Ulquiorra, punching him in the face. "What?!" said Naruto, a shocked look on his face.

His suddenly passed through Ulquiorra, making it seem as though he was just a mirage. "_Those weren't hand seals for a Ninjutsu_," said a voice in the air. "_Those were hand seals for a __**Genjutsu**_."

Naruto looked around and punched the other three figures, who all disappeared as well. "_You're finished_."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. _I have no choice but to run through the wall of flames!_ He quickly braced himself and ran for the wall of flames, shielding his face with his arms. "Too late, Uzumaki Naruto!" said a voice from behind him. "Ninpo: Cero Charge!"

FWOOMP! Four beams of lasers- red, yellow, green, and blue, shot out from the corners of the prison of fire, hitting Naruto straight in the chest. "AHHH!" screamed Naruto, falling on his knees.

* * *

"What's going on in there?!" yelled Ichigo. "Move aside! I'll put the fire out myself!"

"I'm sorry, Ichigo-san!" said Yamato. "For some reason, my Suiton jutsu's aren't working!"

Killer Bee rushed to Ichigo's side. "Hold on Naruto, yo!" yelled Killer Bee. "We'll get you outa there, so hold on and stay put!"

"Watch out!" cried Yoruichi.

Ichigo turned around to look at Yoruichi. "What?"

The box of fire suddenly exploded, causing a cloud of smoke to surround Ichigo and the others. When the smoke cleared up, Ichigo and the others ran around, looking for Naruto.

But there was nothing left.

* * *

"Sleep…" whispered a voice in his ear.

Naruto shook his head, trying to stay awake, but the pain was too great. He pitched forward, hitting the ground with the side of his face. "Ughhh… no…"

Naruto's eyes closed, and he blacked out.

* * *

(The Hidden Rain Village)

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and blinked. "Ugh… Where am I?" he said, rubbing the back of his head. "My head and my chest hurt like crazy."

"Welcome…" a voice behind him said, the voice echoing throughout the room.

Naruto turned around and saw a seated figure staring at him, his red eyes glowing from behind the shadows.

… "Uzumaki Naruto."

* * *

**Please leave reviews and tell me what you think of my story! As long as it's not like a full-on hate message, all criticisms are accepted. As for the people who are wondering why most of the Bleach characters are missing, I already explained that in Chapter 2. Thanks!**


	14. Chapter 14: Espada Zero

**Chapter 14: Espada Zero**

Naruto stared up at the seated figure, who was about thirty feet in front of him. "Who are you?" asked Naruto. "Wait, your eyes! Are you Sasuke?!"

"No," said the figure. "I am not Sasuke. Don't you recognize me, Uzumaki Naruto?"

The figure slowly stood up and walked down the five small steps, walking over to Naruto. He stopped two feet in front of him and slowly removed his mask, which had two small slits in them for eyeholes. Naruto's eyes widened as he saw what was underneath the mask. "Pain?"

"Hello, Naruto," said Pain.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "PAIN!" he yelled, standing up and grabbing him by the collar of his cloak. "Why did you bring me here?!"

Pain sighed and put his mask back on. "Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra walked up to Pain and Naruto. "Unhand him, Uzumaki Naruto. I will explain what is going on."

Naruto let go of Pain's collar and stepped back, looking at Ulquiorra. "Ok then, whoever you are. Explain."

"Pain-sama would like for you to join the ranks of the Espadas," said Ulquiorra bluntly.

Naruto turned his head and looked at Pain. "What? Are you freaken kidd-?!"

"Be silent, Uzumaki Naruto," said Ulquiorra, causing Naruto to look at him. "We are not giving you a choice. If you don't agree to this proposition, then many people that you love will die. Do you understand me, Uzumaki Naruto? You have no say in this matter. All you can say is yes, and nothing more."

Naruto stared at Ulquiorra, a look of disbelief on his face. His eyes were wide, and an unmistakable look of fear was in both of them.

"I'll say it once more time," said Ulquiorra. "You _will_ join the rank of the Espadas, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto's head drooped down, a look of loneliness and despair in his eyes.

"I-… I… I will…"

* * *

(Konoha: The Hokage's Office)

"WHAT?!"

Tsunade slammed her hand on the table, causing a large crack to appear on it. "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! NARUTO WOULD NEVER BETRAY US!"

"Forgive me, Hokage-sama," said Yoruichi, bowing her head in respect. "I didn't mean it like that, but it _is_ possible that something might have happened other than them capturing Naruto."

"Impossible…" whispered Gaara. "I know that no matter what, Naruto would never betray his own comrades and village! That is something that he would _never_ do!"

"I agree!" said Tsunade.

"Those are your own opinions," said the Tsuchikage. "Even if it were true, we still have to consider every possibility," said the Tsuchikage. "Don't let your feelings get in the way of this matter, Hokage, Kazekage."

"The Tsuchikage is right," said the Mizukage.

"I expected more from the gaki," said the Raikage, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"Well, aside from that," said Byakuya. "What should we do about the attack on the Akatsuki then?"

"Well, the good thing is that the Akatsuki isn't as strong as we thought. Pain betrayed them if our guess is correct, and we sealed off Kabuto, so their strength has already decreased significantly. But on the other hand, we lost some of our strongest men, so we probably won't be able to launch an attack on them anytime soon," said Gaara.

"So what about Naruto?" asked Sakura. "We can't just sit here and do nothing about him, right?!"

"No matter what happened to Uzumaki Naruto, we can't just go into another village and take him back, even if we _did_ see his men taking time away," said Byakuya. "Without solid proof that they're actually a part of his village, it's their word against ours."

"Byakuya's right," said the Raikage. "I'm afraid that it's out of our hands now."

Sakura bowed her head, her hands clenched into fists and shaking with anger. "So we're just going to leave our friend behind? Our comrade?! ARE YOU GUYS REALLY BEING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?! IF IT WAS ONE OF US THAT GOT CAPTURED, NARUTO WOULD DO EVERYTHING IN HIS POWER TO GET US BACK! ARE YOU GUYS REALLY GOING TO STAND HERE AND DO NOTHING ABOUT THIS?!"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "SAKURA! Behave yourself."

Sakura looked down at the ground, tears forming in her eyes. _Naruto… Why would you go along with them willingly? What's going on with you?_

* * *

(The Six Paths of Pain's Tower)

"Uzumaki Naruto, please consider this place your home now," said Pain from his throne.

"What do you want with me," said Naruto, a dull and sad look on his face. "I joined the Espadas. Now what?"

"I want to train you," said Pain plainly.

Naruto looked up, a confused look on his face. "You want to _train_ me? But why?"

"I believe that you have a hidden potential deep inside of you that not even _you_ know about, Naruto," said Pain. "What I want to do is simply help bring it out."

"But why?" asked Naruto.

"Don't worry about that,' said Pain. "Now, before we get into any deeper discussions, there's someone that I want you to meet."

Naruto turned around and saw a figure standing in the doorway, hidden by the shadows. With the forty-nine Arrancar's watching, as well as Naruto and the others, the figure stepped out from the shadows, opening his eyes to reveal a pair of glowing red eyes.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock, his mouth open, but no words coming out of it. "S-S… Sasuke…?"

Sasuke gave Naruto a menacing grin.

"Hey… Naruto."

"Sasuke?!" said Naruto. He rushed over to him, his eyes wide. "What are you doing here?! I thought that you were with that Madara guy!"

"I was never with Madara _or_ the Akatsuki," said Sasuke. "I just simply decided to join Pain now."

"That's enough talk you two," said Pain. "You two can catch up later, but we have some very important details to discuss, and after that, Naruto, we begin your training."

Naruto bent his head, a mixture of grief and anger appearing in his eyes.

"Understood."

* * *

_One year later…_

Naruto stared out into the sky from the very top of the Six Paths of Pain's Tower. His hair had grown longer so that he had jaw-length bangs that covered either side of his face, and even though it had only been a year, Naruto's face had changed slightly, classifying him as possibly good looking. Although he still wore his normal clothes, he now wore a short-sleeved long white haori over it, decorated by flame patterns on the edges, just like his father, the Fourth Hokage. The kanji for "Espada Zero" was written vertically down on the back of it.

He was also given a white mask to wear. It had very small and thin slits in it for eyeholes, and it had four small holes on each side of the bottom part of the mask. Although the mask covered Naruto's whole entire head, it had been modified so that the top of it had been cut off; that way, Naruto's hair was completely visible, although his mask still covered his whole entire face, leaving nothing visible except for his hair.

_It's been one year since I've last seen everyone,_ thought Naruto to himself. _I wonder how they're all doing._

Although Naruto wasn't the strongest of the Espadas, he had received the title of Espada Zero. As an Espada, he received the right to command any of the other lower-ranking Arrancars, and he himself had received three Fraccion members. Their names were Kaede, Juggler, and Asuka. Kaede, a 19-year-old male, had light-blue eyes and medium-length, messy light-blonde hair. He was a Jonin from the Hidden Cloud Village.

Juggler, a 21-year-old male, had dark-brown, almost black eyes, and medium-length, midnight-black hair. He was a high-ranking Chunin from the Hidden Stone Village. Both of them wore the standard Arrancar uniform, which was basically a long-sleeved white jacket with white pants and black sandals.

Asuka, on the other hand, an 18-year-old female, had light-blue eyes and shoulder-length light-blonde hair. She was a Chunin from the Hidden Cloud Village, and she was Kaede's sister. She wore a low-cut white jacket that stopped above her waistline and a white mini-skirt that stopped three inches above her thighs, complete with transparent leggings that stopped right below where her mini-skirt stopped.

"Naruto-sama."

Naruto turned around to see Asuka standing behind him, her hands behind her back. "Asuka, huh?" said Naruto. "What is it?"

"Pain-sama wants to see you," said Asuka.

"Alright then," said Naruto. He slowly stood up and walked past Asuka, who bowed her head politely as Naruto walked past her. "Let's go, Asuka," said Naruto.

"Yes sir!" said Asuka, following Naruto closely behind.

Naruto walked down to the bottom floor of the tower and saw that the throne room was empty. "He's in the other room, Naruto-sama," said Asuka.

"I know," said Naruto, walking over to the door on the right side of the room. "I'm coming in," said Naruto, knocking on the door. He opened it and walked inside of the room with Asuka. The room was basically empty, save a couple of giant ice-like steel cubes stacked on top of each other, looking like a mini-staircase for a giant. Konan, Gin, Tosen, Aizen, and Sasuke were all standing next to Pain, who was standing next to a glass case. Ulquiorra, Zommari, and Granz were all standing up, while Nnoitra was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed. Starrk, Baraggan, Tier, Aaroniero, and Yammy were all sitting down on the steel cubes, either slouching over or leaning back. There were also a couple of other Arrancars scattered around the room.

"How good of you to join us, Naruto, Asuka," said Aizen.

"What do you want, Pain," said Naruto.

"Come and look at this, Naruto," said Pain. "Isn't it marvelous?"

"What is it?" asked Naruto, walking over to the glass box.

Inside of it was a metallic silver orb, roughly around half the size of a baseball, the surface of the orb almost seeming to be alive. As Naruto looked at the surface of the orb, it almost seemed as if there was an entire ocean trapped inside of it. "What is this?" asked Naruto, a confused look on his face.

"I call it the Hogyoku," said Aizen. "Magnificent, isn't it? I spent twenty years of my life creating it, and it's finally complete, although its abilities aren't as impressive as I thought it would be."

"What does this thing do?" asked Sasuke.

"It has the power to, well, basically _force_ a person's chakra supply to grow in size, therefore increasing the amount of chakra they can contain in their body at once. Basically, it increases ones chakra supply by quite a good amount, and the amazing thing about this is that there are absolutely no side-effects."

"That's quite impressive, Aizen-taichou," said Gin, his seemingly-permanent grin growing even longer. "To forcibly increase ones chakra supply without any side-effects…"

"That's not all it does though," said Aizen. "It also grants a person certain abilities, like the ones that the Espada's possess. Because of their 'rebirth' via the Hogyoku, they are now faster, stronger, and they can even fight longer than usual. Although it isn't very noticeable, it's still something. I estimate that their strengths have increased by a total of around 25.59%. It also seems to have granted them the ability to use certain Ninjutsu's that they normally wouldn't be able to master, like Cero, for instance."

Naruto looked at Aizen. "Cero?"

"Yes," said Aizen. "Cero is a unique Ninjutsu that was created by Pain himself, so statistically speaking, no one should be able to fully master it as the Espada's have. From the tests that I have run on the Espada's, I came up with the conclusion that this was due to their 'rebirth' via the Hogyoku."

"Very impressive," said Pain.

Naruto looked at Pain. "So you called me just to show me this?"

"No," said Pain. "I wanted to ask if _you_ wanted to be 'reborn' through the Hogyoku, Naruto. As an Espada, it's only right that you should."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "No thanks," he said. "I highly doubt that you could convince the Kyuubi to cooperate with this whole entire thing, Pain."

Pain tapped the part of his mask that had the tiny slits for the eyeholes. "I might be able to, if you let me try."

Naruto smirked from behind his mask and closed his eyes, opening them a second later to reveal a pair of glowing orange-red eyes. Although no one could see them, everyone in the room felt the Kyuubi's chakra slowly leaking out of Naruto's body. "Are you sure?" asked Naruto slowly in a slightly menacing tone.

Pain narrowed his eyes from behind his mask and rolled his neck. "I'm sure."

Naruto and Pain stared at each other for a brief moment. "Well," said Naruto. "If that's all, then I'm gonna go back to my usual place and just relax for a little while."

As Naruto turned to leave, Pain put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, stopping him. "One second, Naruto."

Pain turned to look at Ulquiorra. "Ulquiorra. Do you remember the order that I gave you last week?"

Ulquiorra nodded. "Yes, Pain-sama."

"Well, it's time to carry it out," said Pain. "Take whoever you want."

"Yes sir," said Ulquiorra, turning to leave the room.

As Ulquiorra left the room, Pain turned to look at Naruto. "I was actually going to give you a different mission, but why don't you go with them as well, Naruto?"

Naruto looked past Pain and stared at the wall blankly, his eyes revealing nothing from behind his mask.

* * *

**So, what did you guys think of Naruto becoming an Espada? Was it good, or would you have preferred something else? Please leave reviews! Thanks!**


	15. Chapter 15: Sakura's Jealousy

**Chapter 15: Sakura's Jealousy**

(Konoha)

"Um… hey, are you alright?"

Sakura turned around to see an orange-haired and very busty attractive girl of average height staring at her. She had brown eyes, and she wore her hair with her bangs tucked behind her ears with blue hairpins. She was dressed in a white top with short white leggings, wearing a short white skirt over it.

"Oh, hi there!" Sakura, giving her a quick grin. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking about something. Anyways, who are you?"

"Oh, um… H-Hi there… M-My name's Inoue O-Orihime," stuttered the girl. "I'm s-sort of new here…"

"Oh!" said Sakura. "Well, it's very nice to meet you! I'm Haruno Sakura!"

Sakura extended her hand, which Orihime took and shook shyly. "I-It's nice to meet you too!"

"So, where are you from?" asked Sakura. "I've never seen you around here before."

Inoue looked surprised. "Oh, well uh… You see…"

"So there you are, Orihime!"

Sakura and Inoue turned around to see Tsunade walking towards them. "Tsunade-same!" said Sakura, bowing deeply in respect.

"Orihime, I've been looking all over for you!" said Tsunade. "Please go to the hospital right away for your assessment."

"Y-Yes, Hokage-sama," said Orihime. She bowed and sped towards Konoha's hospital.

Sakura watched as Orihime rushed off to the hospital. "Her assessment?" asked Sakura, turning to face Tsunade. "What kind of assessment could she take at the hospital?"

Tsunade smiled. "Her Iryo-nin assessment of course."

Sakura looked surprised. "So she's an Iryo-nin?"

"Yes," said Tsunade, nodding. "She's Inoue Orihime, the Iryo-nin prodigy from the Hidden Cloud Village. They say that there hasn't been such a prodigy since me, and in my opinion, her medical skills rival those of even Kabuto, who's been said to maybe even surpass me when I was that age."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. "So she's a genius? That's amazing!"

Tsunade smiled. "Isn't it? To be honest, her healing abilities could be considered even… abnormal."

Sakura looked puzzled. "Abnormal? What do you mean, Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade rubbed the back of her head and sighed. "Well… How should I explain this? Samui, a Jonin from the Hidden Cloud Village, told me this story. It was around a year ago when it happened. Orihime was accompanying Samui and her team on a mission, and during their mission, one of their men got injured very badly; he was almost at the point of death. Now, there's no way that anyone would have been able to completely heal him, but this girl… apparently, she healed him to the point where it was like he wasn't even injured in the first place."

Sakura had a dumbfounded look on her face. "How is that even possible?"

Tsunade smiled as she looked at the hospital which Orihime was in. "I don't really know for sure, Sakura, but I _will_ just say this one thing. Her healing abilities might be unnatural and even scary if you think about it, but that girl is one of the hopes for the war that is to come. She'll be the key player of the medical squad, and a good part of the outcome of the war will depend on her. I just hope that she'll be ready for it."

Sakura looked down at the ground. "I-I see…"

"Well, I should probably get there before they start," said Tsunade. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning, Sakura!"

"Y-Yes, Tsunade-sama," said Sakura, bowing her head in respect. She watched as Tsunade walked towards Konoha's hospital and looked down at the ground once more, a sad look appearing in her eyes. _I-I feel as if I'm not needed anymore… Maybe Inoue-san is really all that they need… Compared to her, I'm nothing…_

* * *

(Outside of Konoha)

"So what's the big idea Kakashi-san?" asked Ichigo.

Kakashi and Ichigo, along with the Raikage and Yoruichi, were a couple hundred meters outside of Konoha. The spot was basically a desert, and as soon as they got there, the Raikage knew why Kakashi had picked this spot for Ichigo's Kekkei Touta training.

"Just trust me, Ichigo-san," said Kakashi. "This spot is the best we've got to work with, so let's make it work, alright?"

Ichigo sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Alright then. So what now?"

Kakashi held up three fingers. "I talked to Tsuchikage-sama and Kuchiki-taichou about this, and basically, there are three steps for your training. I'm here to guide you through step one, and some of step three."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Three steps? Alright then. What's first?"

Kakashi looked at Ichigo with a serious look on his face. "You might think that this is weird, but trust me. Your first step is… to master the Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Ichigo stared at Kakashi skeptically. "You were right, Kakashi-san. I _do_ think that this is weird. Why would I need to learn the Sha-?"

"Ichigo," said the Raikage. "Just trust him on this, alright? I don't get it either, but I trust him."

Yoruichi grinned. _I get what he's up to. Very smart, Kakashi-san._

Kakashi sighed. "Alright then. Let me explain why the Shadow Clone Jutsu is so important…"

* * *

(Konoha)

Sakura sighed as she walked home slowly. _I thought that once I joined the medical squad and became an Iryo-nin, I would feel more significant and useful, and I __**did**__ for a while, but after seeing Tsunade-sama talk about Inoue-san and how she's such a great Iryo-nin… I feel useless again… Oh Naruto… Sasuke-kun… I wish that you two were here with me…_

"SAKURA-SAN!"

Sakura turned around to see Rock Lee, Tenten, and Neji behind her. He waved his arms at her, and Sakura smiled and gave him a small wave. "Hi Lee-san! Tenten! Neji-san!" said Sakura. "What are you doing?"

"I just got back from an intense training with Tenten and Neji!" said Lee, flexing his arms. Tenten and Neji had a dramatic scowl on their face. "Anyways, what are _you_ doing, Sakura-san?"

"Oh, I just finished talking to Tsunade-sama, and I'm heading off to…" Sakura's voice trailed off as she realized that she had no idea where she was going.

Lee noticed this and smiled. "Well, Tenten, Neji, and I were just heading off to get some barbeque at an all-you-can-eat buffet! Why don't you come and join us? It'll be fun!"

"Yea, that sounds fun!" said Tenten. "Come with us, Sakura! It's Lee's treat too!"

"Whaaattt?" said Lee, pouting. "I thought that you said that we'd be _sharing_ the bill, Tenten!"

"Well, too bad!" said Tenten, crossing her arms and turning around, a smile on her face.

Lee sighed. "Alright then," he said, trudging off towards the all-you-can-eat buffet. Tenten, Neji, and Sakura followed Lee, laughing as he grumbled about having to pay for the meal.

As all four of them entered the all-you-can-eat buffet, none of them noticed five figures that were standing on top of the Hokage Monument, their arms crossed.

* * *

"It's been a long time since I've been here," said the long, yellow-haired figure on the far right. "This place brings back memories…"

"Awww, is the great Naruto-sama gonna cry?" asked Grimmjow jokingly. He scoffed and stared down at the village. "So this is Konoha, huh? Just looking at this place makes me wanna destroy it. It's way too peaceful for my taste."

"Grimmjow," said Naruto, a hint of warning in his voice. "Remember our mission. We're here to do only one thing, and that's _not_ to destroy Konoha."

Grimmjow turned to look at Naruto. "Well, what if I do? What are you going to do about it, huh?"

Naruto's eyes turned slightly orange-red from behind his mask. "I think you know what'll happen, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow scoffed and turned back to look at the village. "Whatever."

Ulquiorra, the figure in the middle, looked to his left, and then to his right. "I will explain the plan one last time. Grimmjow, Yammy, and Kaede will be Team A. You three are to launch a fake assault on Konoha and make sure that everyone, including the Five Kage's, are distracted. Uzumaki Naruto and I will make up Team B. Our task is to capture and secure our target. Any questions?"

No one said anything.

"Very well then," said Ulquiorra. "We will commence with the operation in approximetly ten minutes. Get ready for the signal."

"Got it," said Grimmjow, grinning in anticipation.

"I wonder just how many weaklings I can kill before they send someone strong enough for me fight," said Yammy, laughing out loud.

"Yammy-san, please control yourself," said Kaede. "We wouldn't want to start a full-on war right now, would we? Pain-sama would be most displeased if that ended up happening."

Yammy rolled his eyes and grumbled to himself. "Know-it-all," said Yammy. "Whatever. Let's just get this show on the road!"

"Scatter!" said Ulquiorra, slashing his arm through the air.

All five of them disappeared, leaving only a wisp of smoke in their place.

* * *

(Outside of Konoha)

"Ohhh, so _that's_ why," said Ichigo when Kakashi had finished explaining to him the importance of learning the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

"Do you get it now?" asked Kakashi.

"Yea," said Ichigo, clapping his hands together. "Alright, let's do this."

"Just one second," said Kakashi. He performed a couple of hand seals and slammed both of his hands onto the ground. "Doton: Mud Coliseum!"

The ground shook as a giant circle made of earth rose up from the ground, surrounding Ichigo, Kakashi, the Raikage, and Yoruichi. It resembled a coliseum, with the seats and everything, but the only thing that was missing was the audience. Raikage and Yoruichi jumped back and sat down on the seats.

"Alright," said Kakashi. "First of all, although the Shadow Clone Jutsu is a Jonin-level jutsu, it's actually not that hard to learn it. Naruto managed to learn it at the age of 12 in less than a couple of hours."

"Wow," said Ichigo, a surprised look on his face. "That's actually pretty impressive for a 12 year old, considering the fact that he doesn't look like he's that smart."

Kakashi smiled as he thought back to when Naruto had first used that jutsu on him during their survival training. "Anyways, the hand seals for the Shadow Clone Jutsu are Ram, Snake, and Tiger, but you can also just take your index and middle finger in each hand and sort of make a cross with them."

Ichigo tried it out and showed Kakashi. "Like this?"

"Yea, that's right," said Kakashi, nodding in approval. "Now we can finally start practicing after I show you what to do."

"Alright," said Ichigo, narrowing his eyes. "Show me. I'm ready."

"Ok then," said Kakashi. "Now, pay attention very closely…"

* * *

(All-You-Can-Eat Buffet)

"Mmmmm, I just loveee galbi!" said Tenten, putting a piece of galbi into her mouth. She chewed it slowly, appreciating the texture and flavor of the meat. "Sooo good!"

Sakura sighed as she ate. _I bet Naruto would love this…_

Lee noticed her sighing and put down his chopsticks. "What's wrong, Sakura-san?" he asked.

Sakura shook her head. "It's nothing, Lee-san. I-… I just… I just sort of thinking of how Naruto would love this…"

Neji nodded. "He definitely would. He was such a goofball, but everyone came to love and respect him. He always made everything into a joke, and he always made everything more fun."

Tenten sighed. "Yea… We all miss him too, Sakura. We just have to not give up hope and just keep thinking that he's alright. Then maybe someday, he'll come back!"

Sakura smiled. "You're right, Tenten! We should enjoy our lives as much as possible for him, and not give up hope!"

"That's the spirit!" said Lee. "Lady! Bring us one plate of everything on the menu! It's all on me!"

"Yes sir!" said a voice from across the buffet. "Right away sir!"

"Now, let's eat!" said Rock Lee.

"Yea!" said Sakura, a huge smile appearing on her face. _Lee-san… Tenten… Neji-san… Thank you._

* * *

Ulquiorra stared off into the distant, watching as the blood-red sun slowly descended into the ocean. _The clouds are moving ever so slowly… How calming…_

He turned his head to face Naruto, who was standing right next to him. "It's about time."

Naruto didn't respond. Ulquiorra closed his eyes and sighed. "I know that this might be very hard for you, but Pain-sama expects your full cooperation. I won't tolerate any failure."

Naruto remained silent. Ulquiorra turned back around and watched as the sun continued its slow descent into the watery depths of the ocean.

He slowly executed a couple of hands seals and watched as a medium-sized emerald shot up from the ground five hundred feet from where he and Naruto were standing. Ulquiorra then turned his head to look at Konoha's hospital. _So that's where our target is…_

… "Proceed with the operation."


	16. Chapter 16: Ulquiorra's Scheme

Please leave reviews! Thanks!

**Chapter 16: Ulquiorra's Scheme**

(Konoha's Hospital)

THUD! Tsunade and the others inside of the assessment room suddenly turned around as they heard an explosion outside of the hospital. Tsunade narrowed her eyes as she walked over to the window. "What was that?!"

Suddenly, a Chunin burst through the door, panting as he stopped, his hands on his knees. "H-Hokage-sama!" he stuttered. "W-We're under attack!"

"WHAT?!" yelled Tsunade. "BY WHO?! THE AKATSUKI?!"

"N-No," said the Chunin, still panting. "We have no intel on them, so we're just assuming that it's a group of bandits."

"That's impossible," said Tsunade. "Any group of bandits, no matter how strong they are, wouldn't dare attack us head on like this. But then, the Akatsuki could have just sent some of their White Zetsu Clones here in disguise so that we wouldn't suspect them."

"So what are your orders, Hokage-sama?" asked the Chunin.

"Go and gather ten Chunin's and ten Jonin's," said Tsunade. "They'll be able to hold them off until reinforcements arrive."

"Yes ma'am!" said the Chunin, rushing out of the room.

"H-Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade turned around to Inoue staring at her, her eyes wide. "I-Is there anything t-that I can do to help?" asked Inoue.

"No," said Tsunade. "Orihime, go ahead and head back to your room. I take it that your key was made and given to you?"

Inoue nodded. "Yes."

"Alright then," said Tsunade. She turned around and looked at four ninja's that were guarding the door. "You four, come here!"

"Yes ma'am!" said the four ninja's, walking up to her.

"You four can escort Orihime over here to her room. Make sure that nothing happens to her, understood?!"

"Yes ma'am!" said the four ninja's. "Come on, Inoue-san," said the red-haired male ninja. "We'll take good care of you."

"T-Thank you," said Inoue.

Inoue and the four Shinobi's ran out the door. Tsunade watched them leave, a thoughtful look in her eyes. _I wonder… Could they be targeting… Wait-… No way… I must be overthinking this._

* * *

(Konoha)

Ulquiorra and Naruto watched as Inoue and her four escorts ran out of the hospital. "Let's go," said Ulquiorra.

Naruto nodded. "Yea."

* * *

Tsunade walked out of the hospital at the exact moment Ulquiorra and Naruto disappeared. She looked up at the spot where they were just at and frowned.

* * *

Inoue and the four others stopped midway through a narrow neighborhood. "I-I'm sorry," said Inoue, panting as she tried to catch her breath.

"It's quite alright," said the red-haired ninja. "My name is Taros by the way. It's nice to meet you."

"I-It's nice to m-meet you too," said Inoue, giving him a shy smile.

"How foolish," said a voice from behind them.

Inoue and the others turned around to see two figures standing five feet behind them. "W-Who are you two?!" asked Taros, pulling a kunai from his ninja tool bag. "Answer me right now!"

Ulquiorra stared at Inoue, a bored look in his eyes. He then shifted his gaze to Taros and the three other escorts that were with Inoue. "One… Two… Three… Four…" said Ulquiorra as he counted the four of them.

"How foolish," he said again. "The Hokage must have been mad to trust the four of you to protect the woman. It's almost as if she wanted her to get caught."

Taros narrowed his eyes. "Just who do you think you are?!" shouted a black-haired male who was right next to Taros. "Do you really wanna do this?!"

Ulquiorra slowly unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the black-haired male. "W-Whoa there!" said a black-haired female. "J-Just calm down and put do-."

"Calm down?" said Ulquiorra. "I think that you four are the ones that need to calm down. I've already been calm this whole time. Now, please step away from the woman."

"Yea right!" said Taros, grinning at Ulquiorra. "Like we'd actually do that!"

Taros suddenly rushed at Ulquiorra, his kunai ready in hand. "DIE!" yelled Taros as he threw his kunai at Ulquiorra's face.

Inoue's eyes widened in shock as Taros was suddenly cut down. His blood splattered the ground as Ulquiorra sheathed his sword. "I will only say this one more time. Step away from the woman."

Inoue's three escorts looked like they were paralyzed with fear. "H-How is this p-possible?" said the black-haired male.

"W-We'll never back away!" said the black-haired female.

"Very well then," said Ulquiorra.

Naruto teleported from behind Ulquiorra and appeared in front of the black-haired female. "W-What?!" said the female ninja.

Naruto punched her in the stomach, the impact creating a loud thud. The female ninja's eyes grew wide as blood slowly dripped from her lips. Her eyes slowly closed, and she fell to the ground, unconscious. Naruto grabbed the two ninja's that were left by their throats and slammed them into the ground. His grip slowly tightened with each passing second, and soon, Inoue's two remaining escort's stopped struggling. Naruto released his grip on them and stood up, backing away from Inoue.

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes as he looked at Naruto. _He's too soft…_

Inoue stared at the bodies of her four escorts, tears slowly forming in her eyes. "W-Why would you guys d-do s-something like this? What do y-you guys w-want with me?"

"I'm here to take you to Pain-sama," said Ulquiorra slowly. "He has heard about your… special abilities, and he would like to see them with his own eyes."

Inoue's eyes widened in surprise. "M-My abilities?"

"Yes," said Ulquiorra. "Now, come with us, woman."

* * *

(Konoha's War Room)

"What was that?!"

"Konoha is under attack, Kuchiki-taichou!" said a Chunin that was guarding the door.

"What?! By who?!" asked Temari.

"W-We're not exactly sure, Temari-san," said the Chunin, bowing his head in apology. "All we know is that three figures dressed in white suddenly launched an assault on us."

"Any distinguishing features?" asked Shikamaru.

"Yes," said the Chunin. "Although we're not exactly 100% sure on this, there is a male with light-blonde hair, a very large and slightly dark-skinned male, and another male with light-blue hair and light-blue eyes."

Darui, who had been sitting back in his chair with a bored look on his face, suddenly shot up from his chair and slammed his hands on the table, causing everyone in the room to look at him. Darui narrowed his eyes as he gripped the side of the table with his hands. _I-It can't be… Grimmjow…?_

He slowly walked towards the door. Byakuya and the others stared at him, a confused look on each of their faces. "Where are you going, Darui?" asked Byakuya.

Darui paused, his hand resting on the doorknob. "To confirm something," he said.

He turned the doorknob and opened the door. "I'm sorry, Kuchiki-taichou. I'm sorry, everyone, but this is something that I have to do."

Darui walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

* * *

(Konoha)

"HAHAHA!"

Grimmjow executed a couple of hand seals and clasped his hands together. "Raiton: Lightning Barrage!"

Large bolts of lightning shot out from Grimmjow's fist and sped towards the building in front of him, almost completely destroying it. "Pathetic," said Grimmjow. "Isn't there anyone here that's worth fighting?"

Yammy laughed out loud as he punched a nearby Chunin in the chest, sending him flying into a nearby building. "HAHAHAHA! This is place is definitely worth destroying, as they're not even finished rebuilding it yet. That Pain guy supposedly destroyed Konoha all by himself, right?"

"Yea," said Grimmjow, nodding. "Pain, who was also known as Nagato. Pain-sama's teacher."

Kaede suddenly appeared beside them. "How are the Five Kages doing?" asked Grimmjow.

"They're not suspecting anything just yet," answered Kaede. "I made sure of that, although the Raikage almost killed me. He's way too fast for me to handle. If one of the Five Kage's end up coming here, we're going to need Ulquiorra-sama to back us up. We won't be able to-."

"GRIMMJOW!"

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes, and then he grinned, rolling his neck and cracking his knuckles. _I recognize that voice… But it couldn't be… Could it?_

"I'd recognize that lazy voice anywhere, although it's not as lazy as it usually is…" said Grimmjow as he slowly turned around.

… "Darui."

Darui narrowed his eyes as Grimmjow turned around to face him. "Grimmjow… You… I thought that you were dead."

Grimmjow faked a confused look. "Who, me?" he said, pointing to himself. "Yea right, Darui. You of all people should know that I'm unkillable. Despite all these years, you don't look any stronger than you did when we were in the same team, Darui."

"As the Raikage's right-hand man, I can't let you get away, Grimmjow," said Darui, a determined look in his eyes.

Kaede stepped forward, his eyes narrowed. "Should I take care of this man, Grimmjow-sama?"

"No, let _me_ take care of him," said Yammy. "He looks like he's strong enough for me to have fun with."

Grimmjow grinned at Kaede and Yammy. "No, I'll handle this guy."

Grimmjow held up a hand just as Yammy opened his mouth to protest. "He's an old teammate of mine. I'd like to see just how much stronger both of us has gotten. You two can go and make yourselves useful by making sure that no one else interferes with us."

"Understood," said Kaede, bowing for a brief moment before he went off. Yammy just scoffed and headed for a nearby building, grumbling about how he never got a chance to fight anyone in "his league."

Grimmjow closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Now, you were saying, Darui?"

Darui narrowed his eyes. "I _said_ that I can't just let you go, Grimmjow. I'm going to stop you. Even if it means killing you, I _will_ stop you."

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And just how are you going to do that, you piece of crap?"

Darui closed his eyes and sighed. "Just watch," he said, slowly lifting up his hands.

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes, and then his eyes widened in surprise as Darui suddenly threw five shurikens at him. Grimmjow's hand suddenly became a blur, and when he held up his hand, Darui saw that Grimmjow had caught one shuriken on each of his fingers. "How boring," said Grimmjow, a bored look on his face.

"That was just a decoy," said Darui as his hands turned into a blur. "You're way too relaxed, as always."

Darui clasped his hands together, and a bright light-blue ring appeared around Darui's hand. Grimmjow's stared at the light-blue ring through narrowed eyes. _What is that jutsu? It's not a Suiton jutsu, but at the same time, it looks like it could be either a Suiton or a Raiton jutsu… What is that thing?_

"You never saw this before, am I right?" asked Darui as the bright light-blue ring around his hand grew bigger and brighter. "Allow me to show you my Kekkei Genkai- Ranton."

"Ranton?"

Grimmjow's eyes widened as he realized what it was. _Oh crap!_

"That's right," said Darui. "Ranton: Laser Circus!"

Around ten light-blue beams shot out from Darui's hand and sped towards Grimmjow, who stepped back in surprise. _So fast!_ said Grimmjow to himself. _I won't be able to dodge this, but maybe I can block it. This is piece of crap's underestimating me like always!_

"Suiton: Water Wall!"

A large pillar of water rose up from the ground and surrounded Grimmjow, protecting him from Darui's jutsu. Darui's eyes widened in shock as his jutsu was stopped by the pillar of water. _I'm surprised that he was able to create that much water without there being a source of water anywhere nearby! He's definitely gotten more skilled in Ninjutsu, as he was always a Taijutsu user. Anyways, that doesn't matter. That jutsu won't be able to completely stop __**my**__ jutsu!_

Darui's jutsu devastated Grimmjow's pillar of water in mere seconds, but Grimmjow had disappeared.

_Crap!_ said Darui to himself as he quickly spun around, raising his arms up to block his face and his chest. Grimmjow's foot slammed into Darui's arms, sending him flying into a nearby building. "So predictable," said Grimmjow, rolling his neck. "It looks like you'll be even easier to kill than I thought, Darui."

* * *

Inoue stared at Ulquiorra and Naruto with tears in her eyes, her whole body shaking with fear. Ulquiorra stared at her with a distant look in his eyes as he thought back to when Pain had talked to him about the woman.

* * *

(Flashback: The Hidden Rain Village)

"Inoue… Orihime?"

"Yes," said Pain. "She should be sixteen by now I should think."

"So what is so special about her?" asked Ulquiorra.

Pain tapped the arm of his throne with his index finger. "Well, how should I explain this? She has a … special ability, I guess you can say."

Ulquiorra looked slightly puzzled. "A special ability? Such as what?"

Pain grinned from behind his mask. "Ever since she was a little girl, she had shown promise as an Iryo-nin, but her talent didn't come from her _skills_ as an Iryo-nin, but from her _ability_ to heal."

Ulquiorra nodded as he finally understood what Pain was talking about. "If _you're_ interested in her, then her healing skills must be… frightening. Isn't that so, Pain-sama?"

"Exactly," said Pain. "Although I don't know the true extent of her powers, I _do_ know that as long as the person isn't dead, she can completely heal him to the point of where it was like he wasn't even wounded at all."

Ulquiorra's eyes slightly widened in shock. "How fascinating… To think that someone actually possesses that kind of power…"

Pain nodded. "I would say that her ability might even be similar to those of the Rikudou Sennin's."

"So, you want this power of hers?" asked Ulquiorra. "Or is this for an entirely different reason?"

"Let's just say that I want to see the true extent of her powers," said Pain. "Call it a hobby if you will."

(End of Flashback)

* * *

Inoue rushed over to the three unconscious bodies and glanced at all three of them. She knelt down besides the two seemingly strangled ninja's and took a deep breath. She performed a couple of hand signs and placed her hands over them. "Soten Kisshun!"

A bright yellow oval appeared above the two unconscious bodies. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes as he studied what was before his eyes. _What is this…? I've never seen anything like this before… So this is what Pain-sama must have been talking about… The power of the Rikudou Sennin…_

Once Inoue finished healing all three of them, any sign of injuries that they had were gone, and even their faces had regained their natural color. _So fast,_ said Ulquiorra to himself. _Even the legendary Tsunade-hime wouldn't have been able to accomplish this small feat so fast and efficiently. No wonder why Pain-sama wanted her power._

Ulquiorra looked up at the sky and looked back down at Inoue. "We're running out of time," he said. "You're coming with us, woman."

Inoue looked down at the ground, a sad look in her eyes. "B-But-!"

"Be silent," said Ulquiorra, causing Inoue to look up at him with wide and fearful eyes. "We are not giving you a choice. This is not an option. This is an _order_, woman. Do you understand me? You have no say in this. You have no choice. The next word that comes out of your mouth _will_ be a "yes," and nothing more. What you hold in your hands is the rope that is keeping the axe suspended above your friend's necks. Do not say anything more. Do you understand me, woman? This is not a negotiation. This is an order."

Inoue looked back down at the ground, tears slowly falling from her eyes.

"I will only say this one more time," said Ulquiorra, taking one step towards Inoue.

"Come with me… woman."


	17. Chapter 17: Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez

This chapter might be a little long, so I apologize in advance. This might be considered as a filler, but I just thought that it might be interesting to tell the story of some of the Espada's, as I sort of got a request for that. I might be doing this with another Espada, so I'm sort of hoping that this idea will go well. If you have any complaints or ideas, then please let me know by leaving a review! Thanks!

**Chapter 17: Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez**

(The Hidden Rain Village)

Ulquiorra stopped in front of the door. "This is Ulquiorra," he said slowly.

He opened the door and motioned for Inoue to enter first. As Inoue entered the room, she noticed around forty figures scattered throughout the room. As her eyes wandered throughout the room, they stopped at the front of the room where a figure was sitting on a throne, two other figures standing on either side of him.

"Welcome, Orihime," said the figure on the throne.

Inoue took note of his voice, which was slightly deep with a mellow tone to it. It was quiet, but at the same time, it was as if his voice had been amplified through a speaker. A shiver ran through her spine as she heard it. Calm and mellow, but quietly dangerous.

"W-What do you want w-with me?" asked Inoue in a quiet whisper.

"It seems that you don't remember me," said the figure. "We met once before."

Inoue's eyes were wide. "W-We did?"

"Yes," said the figure. He slowly stood up from his seat and walked down the stairs.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself," said the figure as he walked towards Inoue. "My name is Uchiha Pain, and I am here as a friend."

* * *

(Konoha)

Tsunade looked at her surroundings, almost falling over from shock as she saw the damage that was done to the village. "I-I can't believe it…" she whispered. "Not again…"

Almost half of the entire village had been completely destroyed. Although the village hadn't been completely rebuilt yet, it was still a terrible sight to behold. "Hokage-sama!"

Tsunade turned around to see Darui and Kakashi running towards her. "Hokage-sama," said Kakashi as they reached her. "Are you alright?"

"Yea," said Tsunade, nodding her head. "But the village…"

"How horrible," said Darui as he bowed his head. _Grimmjow, you-… How could you do such a thing?_

"Anyways, let's just be glad that there wasn't that much casualties," said Kakashi.

Tsunade perked up when she heard this. "What's the report?" she asked. "Give me everything!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," said Kakashi. "Approximetly forty-nine minutes ago, three men attacked the Hidden Leaf Village. It is currently unknown who they are or what village they belong to, but we're guessing that the Akatsuki might have had something to do with this. They launched an assault on the Hidden Leaf Village, and after forty-five minutes, they dispersed without any warning. We aren't sure what their motives were, but we believe that it might have just been a distraction for something else. They had devastated almost half of the entire village, but so far, we have only found five dead and thirty wounded."

Tsunade sighed with relief. "Thank goodness."

Kakashi handed her a scroll, which she opened and read. Kakashi explained what was inside of the scroll. "You see, Hokage-sama, this first part explains what had happened, while the second part of the scroll is for…"

Kakashi's voice trailed off as Darui walked further away from the two. He lazily walked through the rubble and destruction, occasionally kicking aside a rock or a pebble. He had his hands in his pockets, and it was quite obvious that he was lost in thought.

_Grimmjow… Why would you do something like this? You were always thirsty for battle and destruction, but why this? Why would you join our enemy's side and attack our comrade's village? This isn't the real you… Or could it have been that I never actually knew the real you?_

* * *

(Flashback: The Hidden Cloud Village)

_Five years ago…_

"Hi, I'm Darui."

Darui stuck out his hand, which the person in front of him took and shook. "Darui, huh? Well, I'm Grimmjow."

"So where's the rest of the team?" asked Darui. "Or was it that I was too early?"

Grimmjow slightly shook his head. "No, you're fine. There are always idiots who are late."

Darui glanced over Grimmjow, studying him. He had messy light-blue hair and light-blue eyes, and he also had strange green lines underneath his eyes. He wore a white sleeveless shirt and white pants with bandages covering his forearms and legs. _Hmmm… He definitely doesn't look like the type that will listen, but then again, I could be wrong._

Two people suddenly appeared in front of them. "Good, it looks like everyone's here," said the person on the right.

Grimmjow looked at Darui and rolled his eyes. "My name is Daiki," said the guy on the right. "I'm the squad leader for this mission, and I expect your full cooperation. Understood?"

Daiki was a fairly muscular male with long black hair and dark-brown eyes. He wore the standard Jonin uniform, and he carried a large scroll on his back.

"Yes sir," said Darui lazily, causing Grimmjow to snicker.

Daiki narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything. "Anyways, as I was saying, I expect your full cooperation. This is Jirou," he said, motioning to the person on his left, who nodded and waved in greeting.

Jirou was a fairly large and beefy male with short black hair and dark-brown eyes. He sort of looked like Daiki, but it was quite obvious that they weren't brothers or related in any way.

"Alright," said Daiki, pulling the large scroll from his back. He placed it on the ground and knelt down by it, opening it. "Everyone, look at this and memorize it. This is our plan for this mission."

Darui, Grimmjow, and Jirou knelt down around the scroll and studied it. "This is where we currently are," said Daiki, pointing to a small circle on the map. "The 'X' on the map is our destination. The various dotted trails are where we might run into some ambushes, and the solid line is our path, so remember this plan well in case one of us gets lost or separated from the group. The various dotted circles on the map are our meeting points. This is where we will be stopping for breaks and supplies, so if any of you guys happen to get lost on the way there, make sure that you head for the nearest meeting point. Understood?"

Darui and the others nodded in confirmation. Daiki looked at all three of them and nodded. He rolled the scroll back up and stood up, tossing it into the air. "Katon: Fire Ball Jutsu!"

Daiki breathed out a large fireball from his mouth which engulfed the scroll, burning it until it was nothing but ashes. He waited until the rest of them were on their feet. "Now, our mission is to recover the Forbidden Scroll that was stolen by the Hidden Stone Village, and this mission will approximetly take four to five days to complete. Any questions?"

No one said anything.

"Then let's head out!"

* * *

(The Border of the Hidden Cloud Village)

_Three days later…_

"I think I see an ambush waiting for us," whispered Jirou. "I can just make five shapes waiting for us right at the border."

Daiki nodded and signaled for the group to continue moving out. "Once we get within range, I want Darui to provide a distraction until Grimmjow can get close enough to take them out," he whispered. "Jirou, while they're doing that, I want you to lay some traps down in case anyone that we didn't kill tries to follow us. While you're busy handling them, I'll go and scout ahead for the Forbidden Scroll."

"Got it!" whispered Jirou.

Grimmjow and Darui looked at each other and nodded. "Let's move out!" whispered Daiki.

They crawled forward and continued on towards the five figures that were waiting for them. Once they got within range, Daiki raised his hand. "Darui, you're up! Go!"

"Got it!" said Darui, jumping up and running towards the ambush. While he was running towards the enemies, he executed a couple of hand seals and took a deep breath. "Suiton: Water Assault!"

Darui exhaled large amounts of water from his mouth, aiming to sweep all of the five figures into the forest, where Grimmjow was heading for. One of the five figures turned around and jumped up when he saw this. "Hey you guys, we got company!"

"What is this?!" said another figure as all five of them were swept aside by the water.

"This is the end of the line for you guys!" said Darui as he performed another set of hand seals. "Raiton: Emotional Wave!"

A large of lightning generated from Darui's clasped hands and traveled through the water. "Dammit!" said one of the guys when he saw this. "It seems that the Hidden Cloud Village sent Jonin-level Shinobi's to take care of us. It looks like we all need to step up our game. Everyone, get out of the water!"

Four of the figures managed to jump out of the water, but the fifth figure was too slow. "AHHH!" he screamed as he was electrified. He soon fainted and was swept aside by the water into a tree, where he lay propped up against.

"Tough luck," said the first figure as he landed on a branch of a tree. "Since we're all Doton users, we're especially weak against Raiton jutsu's."

"Yea," said the second figure. "Let's just hurry up and get this over with. It's just one guy."

All four of them pulled out a kunai from their ninja tool bags and readied themselves. "Alright, let's-!"

"Just one guy?" said a voice from behind them.

The first figure's eyes widened in shock as he slowly turned around. "He's not alone," said the voice. "Now, die, you piece of crap!"

Grimmjow, who was the person behind them, punched the first figure in the stomach, the sound creating a loud thud. The first figure bent over and fell unconscious from the pain. Grimmjow performed three hand seals and drew back his right hand, clenching it into a fist. "Raiton: Electric Charge!"

Grimmjow's right fist started generating a charge of electricity. "Oh crap!" yelled the second figure. "Everyone, run!"

The second and the third figure managed to jump away just in time, but the fourth figure didn't react fast enough. Just as he jumped off of the branch, Grimmjow teleported from where he was standing and appeared in front of him. "Too slow," said Grimmjow, grinning at the figure.

As Grimmjow punched the fourth figure in the stomach, his fist went right through it. The ninja's eyes widened in shock, but when he opened his mouth to scream, no words came out. The figure landed on the ground with a loud thud and lay there, dead. Grimmjow landed next to him and rolled his neck. "You three were too weak," he said, looking around the area. "Now, where are the other two-?"

Grimmjow suddenly stopped talking, a stunned look on his face. He slowly looked down to see a kunai sticking out of his stomach. "Oh," he said, a blank look on his face.

Darui's eyes widened in shock. "GRIMMJOW!" he screamed.

One of the figures was behind Grimmjow, his hand still gripping the handle of the kunai tightly. "You're finished," he said, a huge grin on his face.

BZZT! Grimmjow suddenly started glowing blue, and a small charge of electricity shocked the figure. "Wait, what?!" yelled the Hidden Stone Village ninja, stepping back in surprise.

Grimmjow bowed his head and started chuckling to himself softly. "You idiot… I'm surprised that you couldn't see through that, Darui."

Darui stared at Grimmjow, suddenly realizing what he had done. _I see… A Lightning Clone Jutsu, huh?_

"AHHH!" cried the figure as he was electrified by Grimmjow's lightning clone. Grimmjow suddeny appeared in front of him and drew back his fist, punching him in the face. The figure was sent flying into a tree, where he lay propped up against. He then pulled out ten shurikens from his ninja tool bag and threw them at the figure, finishing him off. "Grimmjow, look out!" yelled Darui. "Behind you!"

Grimmjow swiftly stepped aside and dodged a punch from the second figure, who had tried to sneak up behind Grimmjow. Grimmjow turned around and grabbed him by the throat, landing a series of punches and kicks on him. Once he was done with him, Grimmjow threw the finished Hidden Stone Village ninja on the ground.

Darui narrowed his eyes. _I wonder what he's going to do now…_

The second figure struggled to get up even though he was covered in blood. Grimmjow walked over to him and looked down at him, a look of contempt on his face. "How pathetic," he said with a smirk on his face. "Way too easy. It seems that everyone in the Hidden Stone Village are a bunch of wimps."

Grimmjow stepped on the figure's throat and pressed down on it. The figure barely struggled, as he was already severely weakened from Grimmjow's jutsu. He stopped struggling after a couple of seconds, and his body went limp.

Darui walked over to Grimmjow and stared down at the body. "You didn't have to do this you know, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow scoffed. "The weak deserves to die. That's all there is to it."

Daiki rushed over to Darui and Grimmjow, a smile on his face. "Where's Jirou?" asked Daiki.

"I'm over here, Daiki-taichou!"

Darui and the others turned around to see Jirou running over to them. "Did you finish setting up the traps?" asked Daiki.

"Yes, Daiki-taichou," answered Jirou.

"Alright then," said Daiki. "Now, here's the plan, everyone. I went ahead and scouted the area, and I found the scroll inside of a barrier. Now, the only reason that they would do something like that would be because-."

"A team is coming in to retrieve the scroll, while the five ninja's that Grimmjow and I just took out were just there to protect the scroll until the team came and took the scroll away," said Darui, finishing Daiki's sentence.

"Exactly," said Daiki, nodding. "Now, if we're going to retrieve the scroll, we need to figure out what type it is, which could take a while. Luckily, we suspected that something like this would happen, and that's why I was put in charge of this team."

Darui and the others looked at each other, a confused look on each of their faces. Daiki grinned at them. "My specialty lies in sealing jutsu's and barriers. Grimmjow over here was able to buy me enough time to figure out what type of barrier it was. It's a barrier that's commonly known as a Damage Absorption Barrier, and in order to take it out, we would need a jutsu that requires an enormous amount of chakra. This barrier is easy to set up, and it requires very little chakra, which is why it is commonly used in A and B-rank mission. Now, the only question that's left is-."

"I'll do it," said Grimmjow.

Darui looked at Grimmjow. "No, Grimmjow," said Darui. "_I'll_ do it. You already used two Raiton jutsu's, and I know that the Lightning Clone Jutsu takes up quite a bit of chakra."

Grimmjow grinned at Darui. "I have way more chakra than any of you guys, and I know for a fact that none of you guys have any jutsu's powerful enough to take out the barrier in one go. Every second counts, as the retrieval team could arrive at any moment. So are we gonna do this or what?"

Daiki glanced at Darui and Jirou. "Alright then," he said, nodding. "Grimmjow, you'll take out the barrier, and then Darui will go in and snatch the scroll up right away. Understood?"

"Yes sir," said Darui.

"Got it," said Jirou.

"Understood," said Grimmjow, his grin growing even larger.

* * *

Once all four of them arrived at the barrier, which was right at the end of a cliff, Daiki signaled for everyone except Grimmjow to step back. "Alright," said Daiki. "Go, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow took a deep breath and quickly executed an extraordinary amount of hand seals. _This is taking too long!_ said Darui to himself in his head. _The retrieval team could arrive at any moment!_

Grimmjow gripped his right wrist with his left hand, holding his right hand open. Darui and the others could sense an enormous amount of chakra pouring into Grimmjow's right hand. Grimmjow narrowed his eyes as he saw a lizard run out of the trees. _Crap, they're almost here!_

"NOW!" shouted Grimmjow. Right at that moment, ten ninja's from the Hidden Stone Village jumped out of the trees. Grimmjow jumped into the air, his fist drawn back. He clenched his fist tightly, and when he was just a couple of inches from the ground, he slammed his fist into the ground. "Raiton: Lightning Shock Wave Jutsu!"

The ground in front of his electrified and exploded as if it was struck by thunder. The damage traveled all the way to the barrier, completely obliterating it. Darui's eyes widened in shock as he saw this. _What a jutsu! I can't even imagine the amount of chakra that was put into the jutsu!_

"AHHH!" screamed the ten ninja's as they were caught in Grimmjow's jutsu.

"Darui, now!" said Daiki.

"Yes sir!" said Darui, jumping forward. He grabbed the Forbidden Scroll right before it got caught in the jutsu, jumping back with it. Darui noticed that the ground beneath them was crumbling. "Grimmjow, get out of there!" yelled Darui. "The cliff's falling apart!"

"He can't get out!" said Jirou, grabbing Darui before he could get to Grimmjow. "The jutsu's slowed him down! He won't make it out in time!"

Grimmjow looked at Darui, a serious look in his eyes. "Cya, wimp," said Grimmjow. He gave Darui one last smile before falling off the cliff with the rocks, disappearing into the deep waters below.

Darui looked down into the water. "GRIMMJOW!" he yelled.

"It's no use," said Daiki, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "There's no way that he could have survived that, Darui."

Darui closed his eyes and silently mourned for his new lost friend. _Grimmjow… You could have prevented that from happening, but you did that in order to protect us and kill the enemies. I'll never forget you, Grimmjow…_

* * *

_Five hours later…_

Grimmjow woke up, coughing out water and blood. His head was throbbing as if someone had taken a hammer to it. "Ugh… Where am I?"

He shook his head and looked around. It was night, so he couldn't really make out anything except for a couple of bodies lying all around him. _The ninja's sent from the Hidden Stone Village,_ he silently said to himself in his head.

"Are you alright?"

Grimmjow swiftly looked all around him, trying to find out where the voice had come from. "Where are you?" he asked no one in particular.

"I'm right in front of you, Grimmjow."

"H-How do you know my name?" asked Grimmjow, his head still throbbing. He narrowed his eyes, trying to make out what was in front of him. He slowly began to see a cloaked figure in front of him.

"Oh, I've known you for a long time, Grimmjow," said the figure. "It was impressive, by the way, what you did back there. Taking out ten enemies by yourself with a single jutsu. Even if there were twenty of them, I doubt that any of them would still be alive."

"What do you want with me?" asked Grimmjow. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to make you a proposition," said the cloaked figure. "How would you like to be a part of something much bigger than yourself?"

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

The figure slowly opened his eyes, revealing a pair of glowing red eyes. Grimmjow's eyes widened as he saw this. _Glowing red eyes…! I've never seen anything like that before! Just who is this guy?_

"I'm recruiting some men for an organization that I'm creating," said the cloaked figure.

Grimmjow looked confused. "An organization? For what?"

"For peace," said the figure.

Grimmjow smirked at the figure in front of him. "For peace, huh? Well, no thanks. I'm not a guy that's interested in peace. You'll have to find someone else for this little organization of yours."

"You'll be wise to join me," said the figure calmly. "You won't regret it. I can promise you that."

Grimmjow grinned at the figure. "Hmmm… Well, I guess that I could probably give it a try. So, what's this organization of yours called?"

The figure stepped into the moonlight, the bottom portion of his face becoming slightly more visible as it was illuminated by the moonlight. The cloaked figure slightly grinned, producing an ANBU Black Op's mask from his cloak and slowly putting it on.

"The Espadas."


	18. Chapter 18: Ichigo's Determination

I'm just using "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" for Shadow Clone Jutsu and "Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" for Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu just because it sounds cooler that way.

**Chapter 18: Ichigo's Determination**

(The Hokage's Office)

_Three days later…_

"I see…"

Tsunade sighed and buried her head in her arms. _I can't believe that they actually went through all of that just to capture Inoue! It seems that someone else knew about her abilities, but who? Her abilities were kept top secret by the Raikage. Only a handful of people from the Hidden Cloud Village knew about her abilities, so there's no way that anyone outside of the village could know about her. Even Madara couldn't have known about her, so who could it be?_

"Uh, Ts-Tsunade-sama?" said Sakura timidly.

"What is it, Sakura?" asked Tsunade, propping her head up and resting her chin on her arms.

"A-Are you alright? I mean, is there anything that I can get you?" asked Sakura.

"No, I'm fine, Sakura," said Tsunade. "Anyways, we still need to discuss what we need to do about Inoue's abduction."

"Y-Yes, Tsunade-sama," said Sakura, bowing her head and stepping back.

* * *

(The Six Paths of Pain's Tower)

"Uchiha… Pain?"

Pain stopped two feet in front of Inoue. He nodded slightly. "That's right. Uchiha Pain. I am here as a friend, so don't be frightened."

"W-What do you w-want with m-me?" asked Inoue, her eyes wide with fear.

"We've found your ability to be quite fascinating," said Aizen, stepping out from the shadows. "We're just here to make sure that you unlock your full potential."

Inoue looked confused. "M-My full potential? What do you mean?"

Aizen looked at Pain. "It seems that she doesn't even know about her lineage," said Aizen.

"My lineage?"

"Yes," said Pain. "Do you know about the Rikudou Sennin, Inoue?"

"N-No."

Pain closed his eyes, although Inoue couldn't really see it. "Well, how should I explain this? The Rikudou Sennin was known as the god of Shinobi. He was the first one the discover chakra, and he was the founding father of Shinobi. He found and created Ninjutsu, and it was through him that the ninja system we have today was created. He had many special abilities, but his most powerful abilities lied in his eyes."

Inoue suddenly looked interested. "H-His eyes?"

"Yes," said Pain. "He possessed the most powerful dojutsu known to mankind- the Rinnegan."

"The Rinnegan?"

Pain nodded. "The Rinnegan allowed the Rikudou Sennin to create and master all forms of Ninjutsu, and it also allowed his to manipulate and master all five basic nature transformations. The Rikudou Sennin also possessed the Six Path's Jutsu, and the person who possesses the Rinnegan can also use the Six Paths of Pain."

"So, w-why are you telling m-me all of this?" asked Inoue.

"It's because I feel as if your special ability is connected to one of the special abilities that the Six Path's Jutsu granted the Rikudou Sennin, the Naraka Path."

"My Soten Kisshun…" whispered Inoue.

"Exactly," said Pain.

"I-, I still want to go back home…" whispered Inoue, a sad look in her eyes.

When Pain spoke, there was almost a tone of pity in this voice. "You'll be able to go home someday, Inoue, but as for now… I'm afraid that you won't be able to."

Orihime looked down at the floor, tears forming in her eyes. "I-, I see…"

Tosen walked up to Pain and whispered something into his ear. Pain looked down at the floor and then looked back up at Inoue. "It seems that I need to go and attend to something," he said. "Please excuse me."

Pain snapped his finger at Tosen. "Tosen, get someone to show Orihime to her room."

"Yes sir," said Tosen, bowing his head in respect. Once Pain left the room, Tosen lifted up his head and looked around the room. "Loly. Menoly."

Two figures walked out from the shadows and stopped ten feet away from where Tosen and Inoue were standing. Loly was a slightly short female with two long black pigtails that reached her back. She has two unusual and distinctive pink eyes, and she looked like she was around sixteen years old. She wore a school-themed uniform with a short frilled skirt, and her top showed off a good portion of her stomach as well as her chest.

Menoly, who was also a slightly short female, had short slicked blonde hair with her bangs covering her right eye. She had the appearance of a tomboy, and she had green eyes. She wore a white dress with short sleeves, and she wore her collar upturned. Her dress was zipped down in the front, and it exposed a part of her cleavage. Her dress exposed her waist and part of her thighs, and she wore a black sash around her waist, along with a white choker. She also looked like she was around sixteen years old.

"Yea, what is it, Tosen-san?" asked Loly. She had a slightly rude but confident voice.

"Take Inoue Orihime over here to her room on the very top floor," said Tosen calmly as if he hadn't heard the rude tone in Loly's voice.

"Yes, Tosen-san," said Menoly, slightly bowing her head in respect. Menoly, on the other hand, had a respectful voice despite her sounding like a tomboy.

Inoue looked frightened as Loly stared at her. "Well, let's get a move on already," said Loly, her voice full of venom.

"O-Ok," said Inoue.

Inoue followed Loly and Menoly up the stairs, disappearing from sight as she walked through the door that Menoly held open for her.

Tosen turned his head to face Gin. "Do you think that she'll be alright?"

Gin shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Why? You seem concerned about her, Tosen-san."

Tosen looked up at the ceiling. "That Loly was always a rude one. She loves Pain, and yet he ignores her quiet advances. She can't stand it when Pain seems interested in another girl, even if it's not a romantic interest."

Gin's seemingly-permanent grin grew even bigger. "Oh, love, is it? How interesting…"

* * *

(Konoha)

"Absolutely not!" said the Raikage, slamming his fist on the table. "That's absolutely out of the question, Hokage!"

"And why is it?!" asked Tsunade. "Even if she is from your village, you all made her my responsibility, so as her temporary master, it's my duty to rescue her!"

"That doesn't matter," said the Raikage, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. "I still won't allow it."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Listen to me, Raikage. If we sent Ichigo and maybe a couple members of the Twelve Ninja Guardians over to rescue Inoue, then we could get her back no problem!"

"So where are they then, Hokage?" asked Gaara calmly.

Tsunade flinched, unprepared for that question. She bowed her head. "I don't know."

"Our first priority is figuring out _where_ they took Inoue. After that, we can focus on rescuing her," said the Mizukage.

"Very well then..."

"Anyways," said the Raikage. "I think that it's better _not_ to tell Ichigo about this whole situation."

The Tsuchikage raised an eyebrow. "Any why not?"

The Raikage sighed. "Ichigo has… sort of a… _relationship_ with her."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "They love each other?"

The Raikage nodded. "Yes."

"I see," said the Mizukage. She sighed, a sad look on her face. "Young love… I wish that I had that… That Inoue is a pretty lucky girl. That Ichigo is a very good looking man, and he-."

The Raikage coughed. "Oh, sorry," said the Mizukage, looking down in slight embarrassment.

"Anyways, absolutely _no one_ is to tell Ichigo about Orihime." The Raikage looked around and glared at everyone in the room. "_No one_."

* * *

(Outside of Konoha)

"So, what was that about?" asked Kakashi.

Byakuya and Kakashi were standing outside of Kakashi's Earth Coliseum Jutsu. Kakashi and the others had heard explosions coming from Konoha, and the Raikage had rushed right over, leaving Kakashi and the others in the earth coliseum.

"Konoha was attacked," said Byakuya bluntly.

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock. "WHAT?!"

Byakuya closed his eyes. "Do not worry," he said calmly. "There weren't a lot of casualties."

Kakashi's sighed with relief. "Thank goodness," he said. "So, any idea who was behind the attack, Kuchiki-taichou?"

Byakuya shook his head. "No. Unfortunately, we have no idea. We assumed that it was the Akatsuki, but we've already crossed them off the list."

Kakashi closed his eyes for a brief second before opening them again. "I see…"

"By the way, Kakashi," said Byakuya. "There's something that you should know."

"What is it?"

"Ichigo must not know about this no matter what."

"I understand," said Kakashi, nodding. "I'll just tell him that it was just a bunch of bandits that attacked us."

Byakuya nodded. "Do that. Also, Ichigo did not know about Inoue Orihime's arrival, so let's keep it that way."

"Understood."

Byakuya performed a couple of hand seals and vanished into a whirlwind of leaves.

Kakashi turned around and walked back into the earth coliseum. Ichigo was still struggling to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu. "Ichigo-san," said Kakashi. "Don't rush with this. We aren't limited in time, as Naruto was when he created Futon: Rasenshuriken. This might be the most important step, but it's almost the easiest step."

Ichigo nodded. "I got it," he said. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He raised both of his hands and made a cross-like figure with his index and middle fingers. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A cloud of smoke appeared on the right side of Ichigo, fading away to reveal a perfect clone of Ichigo standing beside him. Kakashi clapped. "Congratulations Ichigo-san. You've finally mastered the first step."

Ichigo sighed with relief. "That was a lot harder than I thought. I guess that learning Ninjutsu _does_ have its benefits."

Kakashi nodded. "And with your Kekkei Touta, you'll be much stronger than you are now, although…"

Ichigo looked at Kakashi with a puzzled look on his face. "What is it, Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi sighed. "Alright, I'll give it to you straight. When Naruto created Futon: Rasenshuriken, his Ninjutsu skills were already pretty impressive. Actually, if he was just a little bit smarter, his Ninjutsu skills would have surpassed mine a long time ago."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm _saying_ that since you barely have any skills in Ninjutsu, this might be a lot harder for you than it was for Naruto. In fact, it might take a very long time, even _with_ the Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."

"But Naruto just mastered a jutsu," said Ichigo. "I'm trying to learn and master my Kek-."

Kakashi held up his hand before Ichigo could finish his sentence. "Although Futon: Rasenshuriken is considered an S-rank jutsu, it's basically an unachievable jutsu. Even the Fourth Hokage was unable to complete this feat before he passed away."

Yoruichi's eyes widened. "Incredible!"

Kakashi nodded. "That's right. Even though Naruto went through countless days and nights in order to create Futon: Rasenshuriken, he wasn't able to perfect it until he learned Sennin Mode. His original version was only about 40% as powerful as his perfected version is."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "I'm still not getting the point that you're trying to make, Kakashi-san."

"Alright," said Kakashi. "Here's what I'm trying to say. Naruto's Futon: Rasenshuriken was only around 50% completed, _if_ that. He was able to create 50% of a jutsu, and it's considered to be an unachievable jutsu. I've come to the conclusion that Naruto's unperfected Futon: Rasenshuriken is about 60% as difficult as it is to learn a Kekkei Touta. Do you get it now, Ichigo-san?"

Ichigo stared at the ground. "So you're saying that I only have about a 30 to 40% chance of success?"

"I'm afraid so, although with the Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, your chances of success are increased to around 50 to 60%."

Ichigo clenched his hand into a fist. "That's still not good enough, but I have to try. If this is the only way to bring Pain back, then I have no other choice. I'll do it."

Kakashi closed his eyes for a brief second before opening them again. _He's just like Naruto, and he's finally made his decision… He's ready._

* * *

(The Six Paths of Pain's Tower)

Inoue stared outside into the night from her room's balcony. She sighed as she looked up at the stars. _They're so bright… I wonder how everyone's doing back at home… I wonder how Ichigo's doing…_

* * *

Pain slowly walked out onto the roof of the tower and leaned his back against the arch, taking off his mask. He crossed his arms and sighed. "What are you doing out here?"

Konan, who had been staring up at the night sky, turned her head around to face him. "I'm just thinking about Nagato and Yahiko."

"You miss them, don't you? Especially Yahiko."

Konan's lips slightly quivered. "It's all in the past now."

Pain sighed and walked over to her. He stood in front of her and gently rested his forehead against hers. They stayed in that position for a brief moment, their eyes closed. "Pain, I-."

Pain shook his head slightly, silencing her. "I'll talk to you later, Konan-sensei."

He gave her a quick smile and pulled away from her. "They're going to figure out that it was you who kidnapped the girl," said Konan as Pain walked back into the tower. "And when they do, they'll come looking for you, Pain."

Pain paused, resting his hand on the arch. "I know that."

A sad look appeared in Konan's eyes. "Are you sure that you can handle it? Is this really what Arya wanted, Pain?"

Pain turned his head to look back at Konan. Her eyes widened as she saw Pain's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. She stepped back, unaware that she was doing so. _His eyes have grown even more cold and empty…_

"This is all for _her_ sake," whispered Pain, gripping the arch tightly with his hand.

"You can still live your life," said Konan sadly. "You don't need to give it all up for just-."

"There's nothing left for me," said Pain quietly. He let go of the arch and continued walking into the tower.

"All that's left is pain, and nothing more."


	19. Chapter 19: Sakura's Decision

**Chapter 19: Sakura's Decision**

(The Hokage's Office)

"So what now?" asked the Mizukage. "We should consider what we all need to accomplish first."

Gaara cleared his throat. "It's quite obvious what we need to do first. If our main objective is to rescue Inoue Orihime, then we need to find out where they've taken her, and in order to do _that_, we need to find out who those people that took her were."

Tsunade nodded. "I agree. But the thing is that no one has any ideas as to who those men are. It can't be the Akatsuki, but-."

Darui cleared his throat out loud. "Excuse me, Hokage-sama. I think that I know the solution to your problem."

The Tsuchikage narrowed his eyes. "Explain yourself."

Darui nodded. "Yes, Tsuchikage-sama. First of all, I have a couple of question that I would like to ask all of you in this room."

"Very well then," said Tsunade. "Go ahead and ask your questions, Darui."

"First of all, you said that Inoue disappeared around the time that the attackers disappeared, right, Hokage-sama?" asked Darui.

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, I did."

Darui narrowed his eyes. "Well then, there's no doubt about it. It seems that I don't need to ask my other questions. It's quite obvious who's behind this."

The Mizukage's eyes widened. "What do you mean? Who is it?"

"Well, I've been thinking about this for a long time," said Darui. "Around fifty of our men turned out to be betrayers in disguise. Pain, along with Ichimaru Gin, turned out to be betrayers as well. Now, this means that-."

"They must have been with Pain!" said Tsunade, finishing Darui's sentence.

"It's so obvious!" said the Mizukage. "It seems that we never thought of putting those two pieces of the puzzle together because of everything that was going on at that moment."

"Well, now we know who's behind all of this," said the Raikage. "No wonder why they knew about Inoue. Pain must have told them about her."

"So what now?" asked Byakuya. "If you want, I can organize a team in less than 30 minutes and set out for the Hidden Rain Village right away, Raikage."

The Raikage shook his head. "We all have to vote on this unanimously. What do you all think?"

"Sending someone as strong as you would basically be asking for a war between the Hidden Rain Village and the Allied Shinobi Forces," said Tsunade. "I believe that we should just send a team in to gather information and maybe see if they can capture Inoue. After that, we can come to terms with Pain… or send in a couple teams to wipe them all out."

The Tsuchikage nodded. "That sounds like a fine idea. What do you three say?" he asked, looking at Gaara, the Raikage, and the Mizukage.

"I agree," said all three of them simultaneously.

Tsunade nodded. "Then it's settled."

* * *

(The Six Paths of Pain's Tower)

"Enter."

Grimmjow opened the door and walked into the spacious room. He stopped in the middle of the room and bowed his head. "You called, Pain-sama?"

Pain nodded. "Do you know why I've called you here, Grimmjow?"

Grimmjow shook his head. "No idea."

Pain sighed. "Well, I wanted to ask if you would like to be part of a little… experiment, I suppose you could call it."

Tosen leaned over to Pain. "Are you sure that this is a good idea, Pain-sama? Grimmjow was disciplined, and this is-."

"Tosen," said Pain. "I understand your concern, but this is something that can benefit our cause. _This_ is why I've brought Inoue here; for this moment, and this moment alone."

Tosen nodded and resumed his original position. "My apologies, Pain-sama. Grimmjow, step forward."

Grimmjow slowly walked forward until he was approximetly twenty feet away from where Pain was sitting. "Lift up your head, Grimmjow," said Tosen commandingly.

Grimmjow lifted up his head slowly and narrowed his eyes as he stared at Tosen, his eyes full of hatred and malice.

* * *

(Flashback: The Six Paths of Pain's Tower)

_Two days ago…_

"Grimmjow, step forward."

Grimmjow walked forward lazily and looked up at Tosen. "What is it?"

Tosen narrowed his eyes as he turned his head to face Grimmjow, even though he couldn't see him. "Grimmjow," he said slowly. "It is true that you took your Fraccion and attacked the Land of Whirlpool for no good reason?"

Grimmjow had a bored look in his eyes. "Yea, I did. So what? They were protesting against some of the things that Pain-sama was doing in the Hidden Rain Village, so I just thought that I'd teach them a lesson."

Tosen gripped the hilt of his sword with his right hand, pulling it out of the scabbard halfway. "Did Pain-sama ever give you that order, Grimmjow?"

Grimmjow yawned. "No, he didn't."

"It's quite alright, Kaname," said Aizen, who was standing behind Pain. "I'm sure that Grimmjow had a good reason for doing all of this."

Pain titled his head slightly as he studied Grimmjow through narrowed eyes from behind his mask. He remained silent, even when Tosen and the others looked at him, waiting for him to say something. Grimmjow closed his eyes and sighed. "I don't get what the big deal is. Don't be such a coward, Tosen. You're such a-."

Grimmjow opened his eyes as he felt something brush past him. His eyes widened as he looked down at his left arm, which had suddenly been severed from the elbow down. Blood splattered everywhere as Grimmjow's arm went flying two feet away from him. "AHHH!" screamed Grimmjow. "MY ARM! MY ****** ARM! AHHH! **** **** **** **** ****! MY ARM! AHHH!"

Although the pain was extreme, Grimmjow was mostly screaming out from the sheer shock of losing an arm. Tosen sheathed his sword, his back turned to Grimmjow. Grimmjow glared at Tosen, the hatred in his eyes so pure that everyone in the room could feel it. "YOU CUT OFF MY ****** ARM, TOSEN! I'LL KILL YOU!" screamed Grimmjow, charging at Tosen, his fist drawn back.

"Grimmjow."

Grimmjow stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening at the sound of Pain's voice. "I'm afraid that I can't let you do that," said Pain quietly.

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes and lowered his fist, walking towards the door slowly. "Whatever," he said, slamming the door open and walking out of the room. The door slammed behind him, the sound echoing throughout the room.

(End of Flashback)

* * *

"Grimmjow."

Grimmjow snapped out of the flashback at the sound of Pain's voice. "I'll do it," said Grimmjow. "It's not like I have a choice anyways."

Aizen nodded. "Very well then, Grimmjow. Orihime, please step forward."

Inoue, who had been hiding behind Sasuke, who had been standing next to Konan in the front right corner of the room, came out of her spot from behind Sasuke and walked up to Grimmjow. "Inoue," said Pain. "Show us the full extent of your powers. I would like to see with my own eyes what you're capable of."

Inoue nodded. "O-Ok."

She performed a couple of hand seals and placed her hands over what was left of Grimmjow's severed left arm. "Soten Kisshun!"

A bright yellow oval appeared above Grimmjow's severed left arm. He narrowed his eyes and he studied Inoue. _Just what does she think she's doing? There's no way that she can heal this wound. It's impossible!_

Everyone in the room's eyes widened in shock as Grimmjow's severed left arm started to regenerate. Grimmjow stared at his slowly regenerating left arm, a look of utter disbelief on his face. _W-What is this…? What's with this chick? Is she even human…?_

A minute later, Grimmjow's left arm was completely healed. He looked up at Tosen and grinned. "I won't kill you because of Pain-sama, but that doesn't mean that you should let your guard down."

Tosen remained silent, while Gin, who was on the other side of Pain, tilted his head as he looked at Grimmjow. "Now now, Grimmjow-san," he said in his creepy voice. "We wouldn't want to hurt our comrade now, would we?"

Grimmjow laughed as he walked out of the room. _I'm Espada Six, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez! Watch out for me, Tosen!_

* * *

(Outside of Konoha)

"Ok, our second step is for you to master the fire element," said Kakashi. "Let's start with the basics. The first jutsu that you're going to learn is Katon: Fireball Jutsu. For most Katon jutsu's, just move your chakra from your mouth to your chest, and hold it there. Then you expel it from your mouth. It's fairly simple, so let's try it shall we? The hand seals for this jutsu are Uma Tora Hitsuji Saru I Uma Tora."

Ichigo nodded. _Uma Tora Hitsuji Saru I Uma Tora. Katon: Fireball Jutsu!_

Ichigo took a deep breath and exhaled a large fireball from his mouth. Although it wasn't perfect, but it roughly 80% the size of a normal fireball. "Not bad," said Kakashi. "You should have this jutsu down in no time."

Ichigo grinned. _I'm already almost 30% there. Learning the fire element is easier than I thought._

"Alright," said Kakashi. "Again!"

Ichigo performed the necessary hand seals and took a deep breath. _Katon: Fireball Jutsu!_

* * *

(The Six Paths of Pain's Tower)

_Two weeks later…_

Inoue looked up she heard someone knocking on her door. "C-Come in," she said.

Loly and Menoly walked into the room loudly as if they owned the whole entire place. "Well well well," said Loly. "How's Pain-sama's precious little girl doing?"

Inoue looked down, a nervous look in her eyes. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" said Loly, forcing Inoue's chin up with her hand.

"W-What do you w-want with me?" asked Inoue, her eyes wide.

Loly slapped Inoue in the face. Inoue looked at her, a stunned look on her face. "You think that you're so cute with that cute face and that overly-developed front of yours, don't you?!" said Loly, an angry look on her face.

"W-What are you t-talking about?" asked Inoue, a hurt look on her face. "What did I ever do to you?"

"Shut up!" yelled Loly, kicking her in the stomach. Inoue doubled over with pain. "Loly, stop!" said Menoly, taking a step forward.

"What?" Loly turned her head to face her, an angry look in her eyes. "Are you seriously going to protect her, Menoly?"

Menoly stepped back, a frightened look appearing in her eyes. "N-No, but…"

"Then shut up and help me," said Loly, drawing a tiny dagger from her side. "Now hold still, you piece of crap."

Inoue crawled backwards until she hit the corner of her room. "W-What are you doing?"

"I'm going to cut your pretty little face up," said Loly, licking her lips with anticipation.

THUD! Loly stopped walking towards Inoue and looked at Menoly. "What was that?"

The left wall of the room suddenly exploded. "AHHH!" cried Menoly, shielding her face with her arms.

"What?! Who's there?!" asked Loly in a furious tone, bracing herself in case of an attack.

Grimmjow bent his head as he walked through the hole in the wall and into the room. "Oh, it's you, Grimmjow," said Loly, keeping her position as if he was an enemy.

"What are you two doing here?" he asked, looking at Loly and Menoly.

"It's none of your business!" said Menoly. "Just go away and-!"

"AHHH!" screamed Menoly as Grimmjow backhanded her in the face. She went flying into the wall, coughing up blood as she crashed into it.

"Menoly!" cried Loly, taking a step forward.

"Stay right where you are, weakling," said Grimmjow. He suddenly appeared in front of her and kicked her in the stomach, sending her crashing into the wall as well. He grabbed her by the throat and threw her across the room.

"Grimmjow!"

Grimmjow turned around to see Menoly near the door. She executed a couple of hand seals and held out her hand. A small red orb appeared on the palm of Menoly's hand, growing bigger and bigger with each passing second. She aimed the red orb at Grimmjow. "Take this, Grimmjow!" she said.

"Huh?"

Menoly blinked as Grimmjow appeared in front of her. He performed a couple of hand seals and held out his hand, pressing it against the red orb. "You shouldn't be using a Cero like that, you idiot. Something could happen, you know. I thought that you stupid Arrancar's might. Pain-sama grants you idiots a portion of his power, and this is what you guys do as thanks?"

A blue orb appeared on the palm of Grimmjow's hand. It was very similar to Menoly's orb, only blue, and much bigger. Menoly's eyes widened. "W-What are you doing?! Are you crazy, Grimmjow?!"

Loly shook her head and saw what was going on. "MENOLY, RUN AWAY!" she screamed.

Grimmjow grinned at Menoly, his eyes wide as he stared at the two Cero's. "I wonder what's going to happen now. Right, idiot?"

Menoly tried to shake herself free, but Grimmjow's grip on her hand was too tight. "Now, watch what happens when you try to abuse Pain-sama's power," said Grimmjow, his grin growing even larger. "CERO!"

FWOOMP! "AHHH!" screamed Menoly as she was engulfed in blue light. Inoue's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Menoly, a look of disbelief on her face. The Cero exploded, enveloping the entire room in smoke. A few seconds later, the smoke cleared, revealing Menoly lying on the ground, a part of her face and body completely blown away. Loly fell on her knees, tears leaking out of her eyes. "Grimmjow, you bastard…" she whispered, an angry look on her face. She stood up and rushed at him, a furious look in her eyes. "I'LL FREAKEN KILL YOU, GRIMMJOW!"

Grimmjow drew back his fist and punched her in the face, sending her crashing into the wall. Grimmjow appeared in front of her and raised his leg, his body slightly bent. "See ya," he said, kicking her into the wall. Loly, who was stuck five inches into the wall, looked at Grimmjow for a brief moment before bending her head, blacking out. Inoue looked up at Grimmjow with wide eyes and he walked toward her. "W-What do y-you-."

"Consider this a thank you for healing my arm," said Grimmjow. "Don't think that this means anything though. If you piss me off, I'll kill you too."

"T-Thank you," said Inoue quietly, looking down at the ground.

Grimmjow nodded and walked towards the door, opening it and walking out of the room. Inoue crawled over to Menoly and performed a couple of hand seals, holding out her hand over Menoly's unconscious body. "Soten Kisshun!"

* * *

(Konoha)

"Then it's settled," said Tsunade.

Sakura, Choji, Ino, and the three other ninja's that were with them nodded. "I'm counting on you, Takun," said Tsunade, looking at the ninja in the middle. "Yes, Tsunade-sama," said Takun, bowing his head in respect. "I will not fail you."

"Sakura, Choji, Ino," said Tsunade, looking at all three of them. "Listen to Takun, and _don't_ do anything rash or unnecessary. Takun is your superior, and he's the leader of this team for this mission. He's a Jonin, so he knows what he's doing, alright?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," said Sakura, bowing her head.

"Then you guys are all set to go," said Tsunade. She slashed her arm through the air. "Scatter!"

Three seconds later, everyone was gone.

* * *

(Near the Border of Konoha)

Sakura narrowed her eyes as she jumped off a branch of a tree, landing on another one and jumping off of it. _I'm sorry for being so selfish, Tsunade-sama. I know that I was jealous of Inoue at first, but now I know that those things don't matter right now. I promise that I'll bring back Inoue no matter what! Also…_

* * *

(Flashback: Konoha)

"Naruto?"

The black haired ninja who had been knocked out by Naruto shook his head. "I don't know for sure, but I _do_ know that the person who was with the other guy who kidnapped Inoue had long, spiky blonde-hair."

Sakura looked down at the ground, tears slowly forming in her eyes. _Could it be? Could it really have been you, Naruto?_


	20. Chapter 20: The Hidden Rain Village

**Chapter 20: The Hidden Rain Village**

"So this is the Hidden Rain Village," said Sakura.

Sakura and the others stared at the village that lied ahead of them. "It's so… spooky looking," said Ino. "And gross too."

Takun narrowed his eyes. "It seems that they've expanded a little bit. I remember it being roughly around 30% smaller than it is now."

"You've been here before, Takun-taichou?" asked one of the other members of the team.

Takun nodded. "A long time during a mission. It was almost three years ago."

"What are the ninja's like in that village?" asked Choji in a slightly nervous voice.

"Very dangerous," said Takun in a quiet voice. "It was when the leader of the Akatsuki, Pain, ruled over the village and every single ninja in that village had been hardened by pain and suffering. Our team was composed of five of some of the top ninja's in the Hidden Stone Village, and yet, ten Chunin leveled ninjas were able to take us on. Oh, we defeated them in the end without any casualties, but just the thought of…"

His voice trailed off as he felt a drop of rain on his skin. "Quickly, retreat!" he said, slashing his arm through the air.

Sakura and the others jumped backwards, trying to dodge the rain that was approaching them. "I was careless," said Takun when they had all gotten out of range.

"So this is the rain that Pain used to control his village?" asked Sakura, looking at Takun.

Takun ran his fingers through his long black hair, his dark-brown eyes narrowed as he stared at the rain. "According to intel that we received before this mission, the leader of the Akatsuki used this rain to monitor everything that went on in the village. This basically means that if we even touch the rain, Pain will know that we're here."

"But how do we know that this is Pain's jutsu?" asked Ino. "In fact, isn't Pain, the leader of the Akatsuki, dead now? That means that the jutsu no longer exists, right?"

Takun shook his head. "We have to assume that Pain, the leader of the Akatsuki, taught everything that he knows to Uchiha Pain, his student. Also, to answer your first question, Ino, we don't, but we have to assume that this is his jutsu. Hiruko, are you ready?

Hiruko, a thin and wiry man with dark-brown hair and brown eyes, nodded and raised his hands. He quickly performed a couple of hand seals and slammed his hands together. "Suiton: Water Burrow!"

A large hole appeared in the water in front of Hiruko. "This was the main reason that Hiruko was chosen for this mission," said Takun. "Everyone, jump in."

Sakura jumped in the hole first. When she landed on the water below, she saw that she was in an underground tunnel, only it was a water tunnel instead of an earth tunnel. Hiruko jumped into the hole last, landing right behind Choji. "I can only maintain this jutsu for so long," said Hiruko. "Let's get going, Takun-taichou."

Takun nodded and signaled for Hiruko to go first. As Hiruko walked forward, the tunnel grew longer. They kept walking for around five minutes before they reached a wall. "This is it," said Takun. He looked at the other member of the team who was right next to him, who nodded. He performed a couple of hand seals and slammed his hand into the wall. A giant hole appeared in the wall, but because of the water tunnel, water didn't leak into the hole. "Everyone, get in," said the man.

"Nice job, Joshiro," said Takun. "Now, let's close up this hole so that Hiruko can release his jutsu."

Joshiro nodded and executed a couple more hand seals. A thin wall of earth rose up from the end of the hole, leaving them trapped inside a giant hole. No one could see anything until Takun lighted a long match. "Here, hold this," he said, handing the match to Sakura. His hands turned into a blur, and a second later, he took a deep breath. He lifted his head and rolled his tongue so that it sort of looked like a tiny "o." _Futon: Compressed Air Bullet._

A small BB-like sphere made of air shot out from Takun's tongue, speeding through the ground above them like it was made up of paper. A thin ray of light from the night above traveled through the hole and shined its light into the hole below. Sakura blew out the match and threw it away next to her. "So now what?" she asked, making sure that the little drops of rain didn't touch her.

Takun closed his eyes. "In order to successfully sneak into the village up above we would need to have chakra that was similar to the ones of the ninja's in this village. Unfortunately, we-."

Takun quickly fell silent as he heard footsteps from above. Takun and the others quietly waited, not even daring to move an inch in order to make themselves comfortable. A couple of minutes later, the footsteps retreated. Takun sighed, relieved that none of them had gotten caught. "Ok team," he said. "Here's the plan. It's almost midnight here, so our only option is to wait out this rain."

Ino sighed. "Seriously?" she moaned. "I haven't taken a shower since last night."

Sakura frowned at her comically. "Just be thankful that we even stopped at an inn."

Hiruko snapped his fingers at them. "Quiet down you two," he said. "So what should we do in the meantime, Takun-taichou?"

"Nothing," said Takun. He sat down and leaned his back against the wall, closing his eyes, but his body still tense. "All we can do is wait."

* * *

(The Six Paths of Pain's Tower: The Meeting Room)

"You wanted to see us, Pain-sama?"

"Yes, Szayelaporro. Everyone, sit."

When the final Espada had entered the room, Pain looked at Aizen, who nodded and stepped forward. "Dear Espadas," said Aizen. "Approximetly twenty-five minutes ago, Pain sensed an unfamiliar chakra outside of the Hidden Rain Village. Now, although it was only one person, Pain is certain that it's a team sent from the Allied Shinobi Forces."

Baraggan coughed. "I thought as much. I told you to wait until she was sent outside of the village, Pain."

Pain narrowed his eyes from behind his mask. "I had already taken that into consideration, Baraggan. Ulquiorra had already informed me that Inoue had been barred from venturing out of the village for medical testing purposes. That alone would have taken over a month."

Baraggan closed his eyes and sighed. "You young ones have zero patience."

"So what now, Pain-sama?" asked Harribel.

Pain sighed. "We-."

He stopped talking as a gust of wind flew through the room. A swarm of paper airplanes gently drifted into the room. "Konan," said Pain.

The paper airplanes came together to take her original form. She remained hovering in mid-air. "Pain," she said.

"What did you find out, Konan?"

She closed her eyes. "Their team is comprised of three unknown Shinobi's, along with Konoha's own Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino, and Akimichi Choji."

Pain narrowed his eyes from behind his mask. "Konoha, huh?"

"If you want," said Konan. "I can take care of them easily, Pain. There's no need to get your hands dirty over weaklings like them."

"Are you sure that you can go against Naruto, Konan?" asked Pain, glancing sideways at Naruto.

Konan lowered her head. "I-."

"No one is to do anything," said Pain. "Everyone just return to your rooms and do nothing. If they come to you, then you may do as you please; however, spare the people from Konoha. I have a special plan in mind for them."

"Understood," said Konan.

* * *

Ino squirmed around in her spot. "Ugh! It's been almost an hour!" she complained. "When is it-?"

"Shhh!"

Takun held up his hand, motioning for Ino to be quiet. "Listen," he said quietly. "The rain's stopped."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. _Naruto… Are you really here?_

"Let's go."

Once they all got out of the hole, Hiruko scanned the area for any enemies. "All clear," he said. "There's no one here."

Takun nodded. "Alright then. Let's split up into groups of two and searched the area. No one is to go further than a hundred meters. After you and your partner finish scanning your selected area, you two are to return here, understood? No engaging in combat unless you guys are forced to, alright?"

Sakura and the rest of members of the team nodded. "Understood!" they said simultaneously.

"Ok," said Takun, narrowing his eyes. "Hiruko and Joshiro, you two will make up one team. Ino and Choji will make up the other team. Sakura, you'll be with me."

"Yes sir," said Sakura.

"Alright, so is everyone good?" asked Takun, looking at everyone.

"Sure thing," said Hiruko and Joshiro.

Ino and Choji nodded.

"Then scatter!"

* * *

"Hmmm… What do you think of them, Harribel-sama?" asked Apacci.

Harribel watched as Takun and Sakura quietly crept alongside the abandoned buildings near the edge of the Hidden Rain Village. "They're weak," said Harribel. "They're trash, but then…"

Sung-Sun and Mila Rose looked at her. "Harribel-sama?"

Harribel closed her eyes. "According to the intel that Pain-sama brought us from Konoha, Haruno Sakura, along with Elder Chiyo, was able to defeat the Akatsuki member Sasori, an S-rank ninja from the Hidden Sand Village."

Apacci scoffed at what Harribel said. "That Sasori? Wasn't he that guy from the-."

"The Third Shinobi World War," said Harribel, nodding. "Sasori of the Red Sand."

Apacci narrowed her eyes as she studied Sakura. "She doesn't look that strong to me. I bet you could take her out no problem, Harribel-sama. You're the-."

Harribel held up her hand, silencing her. "It's quite alright. They haven't approached us yet, so we don't need to engage them just yet."

Apacci and the others nodded.

* * *

Yammy watched as Ino and Choji came closer and closer to where he was at. He was sitting down on the roof of an elegant apartment, which housed Espada's Seven and Ten. He was sitting with his legs crossed, the side of his face resting against his fist. "How boring," he said to no one in particular. "Do I seriously have to wait for them to come to me?"

Grimmjow, who was standing behind him, smirked. "Then why don't you just go down there and fight them like a man?"

Yammy glared at Grimmjow from the corner of his eyes. "You know what Pain-sama said."

"So what? Are you scared of him, Yammy?" asked Grimmjow, a mocking tone in his voice.

Yammy narrowed his eyes. "Aren't you?"

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "I _respect_ his powers," he answered. "Being scared of someone and respecting their powers are two completely different things."

"So why don't _you_ go down and fight them, huh, Grimmjow?" asked Yammy, copying Grimmjow's mocking tone.

Grimmjow pointed to himself. "Me? Are you serious, Yammy? Those kids aren't worth any of our times. Oh wait, you can't sense someone's strength like me, can you, Yammy?"

Yammy scoffed. "You know that I'm not a sensor type, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow sighed. "You don't need to be a sensor type to sense someone's strength, you idiot. You can tell just by looking at them. Doesn't Ulquiorra always scold you on that?"

"Aw, shut up, Grimmjow," said Yammy as he slowly stood up, his hands on his knees. He stretched out his arms and legs. "Ahhh! That's much better. Alright, Grimmjow, I'll go and take on those little punks. I'll show you that I'm not a wimp like you."

Grimmjow smirked at him. "Sure thing, Yammy. Go and show me who the boss is."

Yammy nodded, the sarcastic remark flying past his head. "That's what I'm planning on doing, Grimmjow, and when I do, you'll be sorry that you ever messed with me."

Grimmjow grinned, his white pointed teeth gleaming in the dark. "I'm sure that I will be."

* * *

"Well, there's no sign of that girl here," said Choji as he peaked into an abandoned apartment. "Is anyone here?"

Ino tugged at Choji's sleeve. "Let's hurry up and get out of here, Choji," she whispered. "This place is creeping me out."

"Alright, Ino," said Choji. "Let's go."

As both of them turned around to leave, they stepped back in shock as they bumped into a large figure that was in their way. "Hey, watch it!" said Ino. "Don't you know better than to-?"

She stopped talking as she looked up at the large figure. "W-Who are you?"

"Ino…"

Ino looked at Choji from the corner of her eyes. "What is it, Choji?"

Choji looked up at the figure, his eyes wide. "H-He's one of the guys who attacked Konoha… It was on the intel that we received from Hokage-sama… L-Large and dark-skinned with a ridge-lined cranium along with a jawbone attached to his chin…"

As the moon came into their view, its light slightly illuminated the large figure, revealing his face. The large figure grinned at Ino and Choji, his grin growing wider as he looked at the frightened look in their eyes. "So you two are my opponents, huh? It looks like this will be even easier than I thought."

_To be continued…_

* * *

**I usually don't update this quickly, but I'm really excited for the next few chapters, as they will be portraying the first ever serious fight between one of the team members and an Espada! This is basically the starting point of the battle, so please bear with me for a little while. I'll be updating the next chapter in a couple of days, so I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please leave reviews and stuff! Thanks!**


	21. Chapter 21: Sacrifice

**Chapter 21: Sacrifice**

Ino and Choji stared up at the giant, their eyes wide with fear. "W-Who are you?" asked Ino in a quiet whisper, her hands trembling as she slowly reached for her ninja tool bag.

The large figure narrowed his eyes and cracked his knuckles. "I'm Espada Ten, Yammy Llargo!"

Ino and Choji looked at each other. "Espada Ten?"

Yammy closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb as if he was talking to children. "Never mind," he said. He curled his right hand into a tight fist and grinned at Ino and Choji. "Anyways, you guys look like trash. You're all ants compared to me."

"DIE!" he yelled, smashing his fist into the ground.

The ground in front of Yammy seemed to explode, a trail of large cracks travelling all the way to where Ino and Choji was. "Choji, jump!" cried Ino, jumping into the air.

Choji bent his legs and jumped into the air, barely making it in time. The force of Yammy's punch created a small fissure in the ground in front of him. Yammy straightened up and looked up at the sky. "How boring," he said out loud.

* * *

Tier saw a small cloud of smoke in the area where Yammy and the others where. She closed her eyes and shook her head. _That idiot. Pain-sama specifically told him not to engage the enemies unless forced to. That Grimmjow… He must have tricked Yammy into fighting them._

* * *

"Ninpo: Partial Expansion Jutsu!"

Choji swung his now large fist at Yammy, who just grinned and ducked. He grabbed Choji's arm and twisted around, throwing Choji over his shoulder in the progress. Choji narrowed his eyes as he sailed through the air. _This guy… His strength is unreal!_

Choji cried out as Yammy slammed him two inches into the ground, causing the ground to explode. Broken pieces of rocks flew everywhere, causing Ino to shield her face with her arms. "CHOJI!" she screamed.

She formed a square-like shape with her hands and aimed it straight at Yammy. "Ninpo: Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

Yammy saw this out of the corner of his eyes and punched the ground again, causing a cloud of smoke to appear, enveloping him in it. Ino lowered her hands and jumped down from her spot on top of an abandoned building, landing near Choji, who was still on the ground. "Come on, Choji!" she said, helping Choji get up. "We have to get out of here! We're no match for him!"

Choji nodded and shakily got up into a sitting position. "Ok," he said after he got his breath back. "Let's go!"

"Too late," said a voice from behind them.

Ino and Choji turned around to see Yammy standing behind them, his arms crossed. His large figure casted a shadow, and they started to tremble with fear. Ino narrowed her eyes and drew a kunai from her ninja tool bag. "Take this!" she yelled, swinging her arm at him.

Yammy leaned back slightly, the tip of the kunai just millimeters away from his face. He grabbed Ino's arm and pulled her in, grabbing her by the throat. He squeezed her neck slightly, causing her face to turn slightly red. Ino released her grip on her kunai and tried to claw at Yammy's face. The kunai fell on the ground next to Ino, who was suspended above the air. "Die, ant," he said, grinning at Ino.

"Ch-Choji," gasped Ino, her face now turning bright red. She tried to pry open Yammy's grip on her neck, but he was too strong for her.

Choji narrowed his eyes and slowly got up from his sitting position. "Leave her alone!" said Choji, head-butting Yammy in the stomach. Yammy bent over in pain, but he maintained his grip on Ino's neck. "You're going to pay for that," said Yammy, narrowing his eyes as he glared at Choji. "It looks like you're more than an ant, but you're still no match for me, you weakling!"

Choji grabbed the kunai that was on the ground and swung it at Yammy's arm. Yammy's eyes widened in shock as he released his grip on Ino's neck in order to avoid getting injured. Yammy glared at Choji, a look of hatred in his eyes. "Why you-!"

Choji swung the kunai up, trying to slash Yammy's face. Yammy jumped backwards and performed a couple of hand seals, slamming his hand onto the ground. "Doton: Dividing Earth!"

The ground in front of him split in half and rose, the jutsu traveling all the way to where Ino and Choji were. Choji grabbed Ino's arm and put it around his neck, jumping up into the air before the fissure could swallow them. _We've got to get out of here!_ said Choji to himself in his head. _We're going to die if we stay here any longer! Our best option is to head over to the rendezvous point and meet up with Takun-taichou and the others!_

"Oh no you don't!" yelled Yammy, jumping into the air. He executed a couple of hand seals and took a deep breath. "Doton: Mud Bullet!"

He spat out a couple of mud balls that were hardened by chakra right at Choji. "AHHH!" cried Choji as one of the mud balls made contact with his back. Yammy grinned as he saw Ino and Choji crashing into the ground. "You two are finished," he said, landing right next to them.

Yammy narrowed his eyes. "Huh?"

He suddenly twisted around and shielded his face with both of his arms. THUD! Yammy went flying over twenty feet before crashing into an abandoned building. "Are you two ok?" asked a voice from behind Ino and Choji.

They turned around to see Takun, Sakura, Hiruko, and Joshiro standing behind them. Sakura, who was the one who had sent Yammy flying, pulled at her gloves and clenched her hands into a tight fist. "Hell yea!" she said, her eyes narrowed as she stared at the abandoned building that Yammy had crashed into.

She turned to Ino and Choji, who were still on the ground. "Are you guys alright?" asked Sakura. She leaned down and helped Ino and Choji up into a sitting position. "Let me heal you guys really quick."

"H-Heal Choji," said Ino, still gasping for air. "I just got choked, so I'll be alright."

Sakura shook her head. "It looks like that guy squeezed your throat pretty hard, Ino. I can see signs of your throat almost starting to cave in. Hold still and let me heal you."

Ino nodded and lifted up her chin. Sakura performed the necessary hand seals and placed her hands over Ino's throat. "Takun-taichou, please keep a look out for the enemy. Even though I punched him pretty hard, I'm sure that he's not dead."

"He's definitely not dead," said Choji. "His strength is almost inhuman, and he's way too big to be just a human."

Takun looked at the abandoned building that Yammy was inside of. "He's coming. I'm sure of it. Hiruko. Joshiro. Get ready. Sakura, hurry up and heal them, but don't take too long. We'll need your strength for this battle."

Sakura nodded. "Understood. Alright, now you, Choji."

* * *

Yammy shook his head and propped himself up against the wall of the abandoned building. "That little brat is strong. She's definitely way stronger than I am. If she gets a clean hit on me, then I'm finished. I better take her out first."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, slowly performing a couple of hand seals. "I'll just have to take them out with this jutsu."

* * *

"Something's coming!" said Takun. "Sakura, are you almost done?"

"I'm just about finished, Takun-taichou!" said Sakura. "Just one moment!"

A giant earth dragon suddenly crashed through the already unstable abandoned building, bringing it down completely. "Crap!" said Hiruko. "That's an Earth Dragon! Joshiro!"

"I'm on it!" said Joshiro. _Uma Inu Tori Ushi Mi!_ "Doton: Earth Dragon!"

A giant Earth Dragon rose up from the ground in front of Joshiro and sped towards Yammy's Earth Dragon, countering it. Yammy's dragon sank its teeth into Joshiro's dragon and shook its head, trying to rip it apart. Joshiro's dragon roared and twisted its body, escaping his enemy dragon's clutches. They both rose up into the air and roared, speeding towards each other. They both collided, the impact destroying both of them. Yammy and Joshiro's dragon turned back into earth and showered the ground with dirt and rocks.

"Not bad," said a voice from inside of the destroyed abandoned building. "Not bad at all."

Yammy rose up from underneath the pile of planks and rocks, brushing the dirt off of his white jacket and pants. "You," he said, pointing to Sakura. He narrowed his eyes. "You're going down first. You and that annoying blonde ant."

He started off in a trot, but he was soon speeding towards Sakura and Ino. "DIE, ANTS!" he yelled, drawing back his fist.

He tried to punch Sakura in the face, but Sakura dodged the punch and rammed her fist into Yammy's stomach, causing him to bend over in pain. Takun performed a couple of hands seals and took a deep breath. "Futon: Dividing Wind!"

Takun expelled a huge wave of air from his mouth, but it was split down the middle, leaving a huge gap in the middle of the huge wave of wind. Yammy shielded his eyes with his arm, squinting as he tried to see where Takun was at past the wind. "Sakura, now!" said Hiruko.

Sakura nodded and drew back her first, preparing to end the fight with this one blow. As Sakura's fist sped towards Yammy's face, she saw him grin. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized what was going on. _It's an Earth Clone!_

"Too late," said a voice from behind Sakura.

Sakura swiftly turned around to see Yammy behind her, a huge grin on his face. "TAKE THIS!" he yelled, ramming his fist into Sakura's face.

"AHHH!" screamed Sakura as she flew back over twenty feet. She crashed into the wall of a building, creating a huge dent in it.

"Sakura!" cried Takun.

"I wouldn't be paying attention to her, you piece of crap!"

Takun turned around to see Yammy running towards him. Takun jumped over him and drew ten shurikens from his ninja tool bag, throwing them at Yammy, who had his back facing Takun. Yammy yelled out from the pain. "AHHH! WHY YOU LITTLE-!"

"Ninpo: Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

Yammy's eyes widened in shock, and he quickly ducked. Takun ducked as well, but they didn't know that Ino was faking it so that Yammy would get distracted. "Thanks, Ino!" said Choji, running towards Yammy.

Yammy turned around, but Choji was too fast for him. "Consider this a payback for slamming me into the ground!" said Choji. "Ninpo: Partial Expansion Jutsu!"

Choji rammed his oversized fist into Yammy's face, sending him flying over thirty feet. "That's right," said Choji. "See how good it feels?"

Yammy got up and rolled his neck. "You little ant," he growled. "Let's see how you-."

"Shut. Up!" yelled Joshiro, appearing behind Yammy and kicking him in the back. Yammy flew towards Choji, who then dropped to the ground and kicked him in the chest, sending him up into the air.

"Sakura, now!" said Choji.

Sakura ran towards Choji and jumped into the air. Choji grabbed her with his giant hand and threw her into the air. "HELL YEA!" yelled Sakura, punching Yammy in the back with all of her strength.

"AHHH!" yelled Yammy as he was sent speeding towards the ground. The force of Sakura's punch basically destroyed a good part of the area, sending large chunks of rocks flying everywhere. Yammy crashed through over ten feet of solid rock before he stopped.

Sakura landed on the ground and looked at the damage that she had caused. She closed her eyes and sighed. "I might have overdone it a bit. I'm sorry, Takun-taichou."

Takun shook his head. "It's alright, Sakura. You managed to defeat one of Pain's men, so don't worry about it."

"I just hope that this doesn't attract any unwanted attention," said Ino, a worried look on her face.

"Well, let's get out of here," said Hiruko. "We wouldn't want to linger here in case anyone else ends up coming over here."

Choji looked at the giant hole that Yammy had made. "Do you guys think that he's still alive?"

Sakura shook her head. "I put all of my strength into that punch, and although I'm not nearly as strong as Tsunade-sama yet, that punch would have been enough to create a giant hole inside of a mountain."

Takun nodded. "You're right," he said. "There's no way that anyone could have survived that punch. Let's hurry up and get out of here. We still need to look for Inoue Orihime."

* * *

Over ten feet inside of the ground, Yammy struggled not to lose consciousness. _What a punch… If I hadn't created three layers of my Earth Amour before she punched me, I would be dead right now. That little brat thinks that she defeated me, doesn't she? Well, I'll soon show her. The real fight starts now!_

Yammy took out a strange black pill from his pocket and swallowed it. _This pill will only last for an hour, and after that, the pill will absorb over 99% of my chakra, leaving me almost dead. I have to finish this fight before then._

* * *

THUD! Sakura and the others turned around to see Yammy running towards them, a furious look in his eyes. Sakura's eyes widened in shock. "WHAT?! HOW IS HE STILL ALIVE?! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! THERE'S NO WAY THAT YOU COULD HAVE SURVIVED THAT PUNCH! JUST WHAT ARE YOU?!"

Yammy drew back his fist. "I'M ESPADA TEN, YAMMY LLARGO!" he yelled, his fist speeding towards Sakura's face. "NOW DIE, ANT!"

Sakura ducked, but Yammy kneed her in the stomach, sending her flying a couple feet away. "THIS IS THE END OF THE LINE FOR YOU TWO ANTS!" he yelled, glaring at Sakura and Ino. "DOTON: EARTH RAMPAGE!"

The ground beneath them shook and began to crack. The ground in front of Yammy started to rise, and giant pieces of rocks flew at Sakura and Ino at an almost unbelievable speed. Sakura's eyes widened. _We can't dodge this in time! I-, I can't move my body fast enough to counter the attack! That Yammy's blow must have slowed me down! We're finished!_

Sakura and Ino closed their eyes and braced themselves for the attack. "NO!" yelled Choji, running towards them. "INO! SAKURA!"

Sakura a squishing sound a second later. She and Ino opened their eyes to see Takun in front of them, him arms outstretched. "TAKUN-TAICHOU!" screamed Sakura.

Sakura and Ino caught him as he fell backwards. "Takun-taichou!" said Sakura. She looked over Takun, and she could instantly tell that his injuries were fatal. "No…" whispered Sakura. "Takun-taichou, why…?"

* * *

Hiruko and Joshiro charged, throwing shurikens and kunai's at Yammy. "DIE, FILTH!" yelled Hiruko, kicking at Yammy's face. Yammy blocked the kick and punched Hiruko in the chest, sending him crashing into Joshiro.

* * *

Takun looked up at Sakura, a look of peace in his eyes. "You two... must live… You kids are the future and hopes of the Allied Shinobi's… Never forget that…"

Ino jumped up and threw a kunai at Yammy's face, who simply ducked. "You'll pay for that!" said Ino, charging into the battle.

Takun closed his eyes and took his last breath. "Go, now…" he whispered. "You four can defeat him… I know it in my heart…"

Sakura closed her eyes, tears slowly leaking out of her eyes. "Farewell, Takun-taichou."

* * *

Grimmjow watched Takun die, a serious look in his eyes. "Sacrifice, huh?" he said quietly.

* * *

Sakura slowly raised her head, a determined look in her eyes. Yammy was holding Hiruko and Joshiro's unconscious bodies, a huge grin on his face. Ino was lying on the ground, unconscious. Sakura gently laid Takun down on the ground and motioned for Choji to stand up. "You'll pay for this," whispered Sakura.

"Choji!" cried Sakura as Choji ran past her. "YOU'LL PAY FOR KILLING TAKUN-TAICHOU!" yelled Choji, forgetting all about how much stronger Yammy was than him.

Sakura cursed. _Dammit! Choji's not going to be able to do anything while he's like this! All he's going to do is end up getting hurt!_

Choji threw a punch at Yammy, who ducked and grabbed him by the arm. "Learn to not let your anger get the better of you, ant!" yelled Yammy, head-butting Choji in the head.

Choji stepped back, stunned. "Stars…" he said in a drowsy voice. "Ouch…"

"CHOJI, WATCH OUT!" screamed Sakura as Yammy rushed towards Choji. Yammy jumped up into the air and kicked Choji in the face. Choji dropped on the ground, unconscious. Yammy grinned as he kicked Choji with his foot. _The pill doubled my strength and chakra for a couple of minutes, which is why I was able to defeat those four so easily. Now, all that's left is the pink haired girl…_

Yammy glared at Sakura, a dangerous look in his eyes. Sakura glared at Yammy through narrowed eyes, clenching her fists tightly. "You're mine…" she whispered.

_To be continued…_


	22. Chapter 22: Sakura vs Yammy Llargo

Man, the first ever fight between a member of the Allied Shinobi Forces and an Espada! I've been wanting to write this chapter for a really long time, and this is just the beginning! The other chapters in the future will be featuring Ichigo's past, more fights including Espadas, and maybe even a movie! Well, here goes! I hope that you all enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter 22: Sakura vs Yammy Llargo**

Sakura and Yammy glared at each other, each ready to counter each other's attacks. "Bring it on, trash," said Yammy, motioning to Sakura with his hand.

"HELL YEA!" yelled Sakura, rushing towards Yammy, her fist drawn back. She jumped into the air, a determined look on her face. "TAKE THIS!"

Yammy jumped to the side before Sakura could land a blow on him. Sakura missed and punched the ground instead, causing the entire ground to crack and shift. Her head snapped around, and she glared at Yammy.

Yammy narrowed his eyes. _This piece of crap… She's serious about this fight. She definitely wants to kill me…_

Yammy executed a couple of hand seals and slammed his hands on the ground. "Doton: Spears of War!"

Sakura looked down at the ground as it started to shake. A sharp spike suddenly shot out from the ground, just millimeters away from her face. Sakura swiftly jumped backwards as long and sharp spikes shot out from the ground, swiftly surfacing in the direction that she was retreating in.

"DIE, ANT!" yelled Yammy.

Sakura narrowed her eyes and drew back her fist to punch the ground, but just as her fist was about to make contact with the ground, a sharp spike shot out from the ground, slicing Sakura's hand. "AHHH!" she screamed, quickly drawing back her fist.

Sakura inspected the wound, but luckily, it wasn't that deep. _Whew. If it was a serious wound, I would be at a serious disadvantage._ Sakura laid her left hand over her wound and closed her eyes as she healed herself. _Ok, stay calm. Remember what Tsunade-sama taught me. Come on, Sakura! You can do this! Now, assess your enemy's strengths and weaknesses. First of all, his strength is obviously unreal. If I take a clean hit from him, I'll be serious hurt. He's also very durable, and he also seems to have a high level of tolerance to pain. One of his weaknesses is that he's very cocky and sure about his strength, and he also can't perform a lot of hand seals fast, which I can use to my advantage. His speed is impressive for his size, but his evasive skills isn't that impressive, which is another major weakness. Ok, Sakura! You can do this! Let's go!_

Sakura opened her eyes, and she flinched as Yammy appeared in front of her. "TOO SLOW, ANT!" yelled Yammy, throwing a punch at her face. Sakura ducked and swung her leg back and kicked Yammy in the stomach. Yammy grinned as he moved back a couple of inches, although Sakura could tell that he was in a lot of pain. "You'll have to try a lot harder than that if you want to defeat me, gaki!" said Yammy, slapping her hard in the face.

Sakura cried out in pain as she went flying a couple feet away, landing hard on the ground. "Stop fooling yourself, kid," said Yammy in a mocking tone as he slowly walked towards her. "Your evasive skills are impressive; I'll give you that, gaki, but you'll need to know more than just brute strength if you want to become stronger. All you have is your Taijutsu skills. You obviously can't use Genjutsu against your opponents, or you would have tried that already. You know some healing jutsu's, but you obviously don't have any other useful jutsu's on you. How do you expect to kill me like that? You're PATHETIC!" he said, yelling out the last word as his fist went speeding towards Sakura's face.

Sakura jumped to the side, dodging the blow. Yammy kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying a couple of meters back. "At least give me a little bit of a challenge, you piece of crap!" said Yammy, laughing at Sakura bending over in pain.

Sakura closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the rough jagged surface of the ground. _He's right… Tsunade-sama might have taught me Taijutsu and Genjutsu, but I only learned how to __**dispel**__ Genjutsu; not use it. I barely have any Ninjutsu skills, and his Taijutsu skills are equal to mine; if not better. He can use Ninjutsu, unlike me, and he has way more experience than I do… He's right… I should just give up and die here… I'm sorry, Ino. I'm sorry, Choji. I failed all of you guys… I let Takun-taichou die in vain… I'm weak…_

Yammy chuckled quietly to himself. _How pathetic._ "Oy, gaki!"

Sakura slowly lifted up her head and looked at him. "How pathetic," said Yammy. "Were you seriously one of Naruto and Sasuke's teammates? HAHAHAHA!"

Sakura's eyes widened as she heard Naruto's name. "N-Naruto?"

Yammy grinned at Sakura. "I've met Naruto and Sasuke, and they're strong. Really strong. My strength can't even compare to those two, and I also heard that your teacher was the infamous Hatake Kakashi. I can't believe that the three of them were able to put up with you for so long. No wonder why Sasuke left your team," he said in a mocking tone. "I wouldn't wanna be on the same team with a piece of trash like you either."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "What did you say?" she asked quietly.

Yammy's grin grew even bigger. "I said that you didn't deserve to be on the same team and Naruto and Sasuke. They're both part of the Espada's now, so take your friends and go back home before I decide to kill all four of you weaklings!"

Sakura's whole body shook in anger as she glared at Yammy with such intensity that he unconsciously took a step backwards. _This gaki… What's wrong with her?_

"Never… insult… Team Seven…" said Sakura quietly.

Yammy looked at her, a confused look on his face. "What?"

"You can insult me all you want… You can beat up my comrades… But don't you EVER insult Team Seven! Understand, fatso?! If you insult my team again, I'll punch you so hard that every bone in your body shatters, understand?!"

Yammy narrowed his eyes and took one step forward. "Try me."

Sakura jumped up into the air and slammed her fist into the ground, devastating the area even further. Yammy wobbled while trying to find his balance for a couple of seconds before jumping up and climbing on top of a pole that was on his right. "Whew," he said, looking around to see where Sakura was.

"This is it!"

Yammy looked down to see Sakura land in front of the pole, planting her feet firm onto the ground. "HELL… YEA!" yelled Sakura, ripping the whole entire pole out from the ground.

"Whoa!"

Yammy hung onto the pole so that he wouldn't fall off. "TAKE… THIS!" yelled Sakura, swinging the pole against a building.

Yammy braced himself as he crashed against the building, going right through it. Sakura repeatedly swung the pole, along with Yammy, against the building until there was barely anything left. THUD! THUD! THUD! Yammy grimaced as he was smashed into the building again. _That stupid gaki! I'll kill her for this!_

* * *

"How pathetic. Yammy is losing against a little girl? Pain-sama must have been absolutely mad to appoint him as Espada Ten."

"Szayelaporro-samaaa!" cried two voices simultaneously.

Szayelaporro closed his eyes and sighed in exasperation. _Oh boy… It's them…_

He turned around and pinched the bridge of his nose before answering them. "What is it, Lumina, Verona?"

Lumina and Verona were two very short and fat Arrancar's with matching white outfits which had three vertical black stripes on it. Lumina was a female with black pigtails, and Verona was a male with a black ponytail. "Szayelaporro-sama!" said Lumina. "Yammy-san is losing! Yammy-san is losing! Yammy-san is losing! Yammy-san is los-!"

"Shut up!" said Szayelaporro, an annoyed tone in his voice. "I already know that Yammy is losing! I'm watching the battle right now! What did you think I was saying when I said that Yammy was losing to the little girl?!"

Lumina and Verona's lips started to quiver. "B-But… WAHHH! WAHHHHH! WAHHHHH!"

They both started to cry dramatically, causing Szayelaporro's face to turn bright red. "ALRIGHT ALRIGHT I'M SORRY! CALM DOWN ALREADY, ALRIGHT?!"

Lumina and Verona suddenly stopped crying and looked at him. "Ok!" they both said, giving Szayelaporro a huge smile. "Hey, Szayelaporro-sama!" said Verona.

Szayelaporro sighed and tried to maintain his cool. "What is it, Verona?" he asked, the side of mouth starting to twitch.

"That girl over there has pink hair just like you! Is she your girlfriend or something, Szayelaporro-sama? Is she? Is she?"

Szayelaporro lost it. His face turned bright red, and his whole body started to shake. Lumina and Verona looked at each other, a confused look on their faces. "So… Is she?" asked Lumina.

"SHUT UP!" screamed Szayelaporro. He drew his sword from his side and swung it at them furiously. "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM RIGHT NOW! I'LL FREAKEN KILL THE BOTH OF YOU! GET OUT NOW! GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!"

"AHHH!" screamed Lumina and Verona simultaneously. They ran around the room with their arms in the air, trying to dodge Szayelaporro's sword. "GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!" screamed Szayelaporro repeatedly, swinging his sword at them. "I'LL FREAKEN KILL THE BOTH OF YOU! GET OUT!"

Lumina and Verona finally sped out of the room, and Szayelaporro threw his sword at them, a comical look of anger on his face. "I HATE YOU BOTH! IF YOU BOTH COME BACK IN HERE AGAIN I'LL KILL YOU GUYS!"

"SZAYELAPORRO-SAMA YOU MEANIE!" screamed Lumina and Verona, their voices distant.

"SHUT UP!" screamed Szayelaporro, jumping up and down in place.

* * *

When there was nothing left to smash, Sakura threw the pole, along with Yammy, onto the ground, breathing hard as she rested her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. "That… should've… done… the trick…" said Sakura, stopping in-between words to catch her breath.

She looked at Yammy from the corner of her eyes. He was on his knees, his face on the ground. His clothes were ripped in multiple places, and he has cuts and bruises everywhere. _He looks badly injured… I better finish him off right now, or I might never get another chance like this in the future._

Sakura stood up straight and pulled at her gloves. "Alright, fatso," she said, rolling her neck. "Let's finish this."

Sakura's eyes widened as she heard Yammy chuckling quietly to himself. "What's so funny?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Yammy looked at her and laughed out loud. "HAHAHAHA! YOU'RE GOOD FOR A LITTLE GIRL; I'LL GIVE YOU THAT MUCH!"

Sakura closed her eyes and sighed in exasperation. "I'm good for a little girl? You'll give me that much? Are you serious, fatso? Who's the one on the ground about to die?"

Yammy narrowed his eyes and grinned at her. "It seems that you don't know anything about us Espadas, gaki."

Sakura looked confused. "What do you mean by that?"

Yammy sighed. "You're so clueless. Alright then, gaki, I'll tell you all about us Espadas."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "You have one minute. Go."

Yammy got into a sitting position and rested his hands on his knees. "Now, how should I say this…? You see this steel bracelet that I have on my wrist?" he asked, holding up his right hand.

Sakura nodded. "What about it?"

"All of us Espadas have one; or rather, we're _required_ to wear one," said Yammy.

"So what does it do?" asked Sakura. "Hurry up and get to the point! You have forty seconds left!"

Yammy bowed his head and started to chuckle quietly to himself. He lowered his hand and looked up at Sakura. "This bracelet is a seal that suppresses a part of our chakra and powers. It's a sort of a restriction, I guess you can say, that's placed on us Espadas."

Sakura looked puzzled. "A restriction? But why?"

"It's because of our 'rebirth'," answered Yammy plainly. "Because of our 'rebirth' through the Hogyoku, Aizen estimated that our strengths have, 'increased by a total of around 25.59%,' to quote his exact words."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. "What?! But how is that even possible?"

"And that's not even all of it," said Yammy. "If any of us should happen to break our seals, then our powers would dramatically increase, and we would also gain special traits and abilities that would match our personalities and traits for a short amount of time."

Sakura unconsciously took a step backwards, staring blankly at the ground. "Impossible…" she whispered.

Yammy narrowed his eyes. _But then, she doesn't know that after our special abilities wear out, our powers are drastically weakened by 90% for a whole entire day, leaving us in a vulnerable state._

"But then," said Yammy out loud, causing Sakura to look up at him. "I don't need to break my seal in order to defeat you. I can take you on even if I was in a weakened state, you piece of trash."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Oh yea? Then bring it on, fatso!"

Yammy slowly got up, rolling his neck and cracking his knuckles. "You're dead, little girl. I'm impressed that you've managed to push me this far, but there's no way that you can defeat me. I'll show you why we Espadas are to be feared."

_To be continued…_


	23. Chapter 23: The Medical Ninja's Pupil

**Chapter 23: The Medical Ninja's Pupil**

Sakura stretched out her arms and legs. "You ready for round two?" asked Yammy, rolling his neck.

Sakura narrowed her eyes and nodded. "Let's see what you got."

Yammy grinned at her and charged, his head slightly bent like a rhinoceros. "I'll take you out with this one move, gaki!"

"Let's see you try it!" said Sakura, bracing herself for the incoming attack.

She dodged to the side before Yammy could head-butt her, kicking at his leg. Yammy suddenly swung around with shocking speed and grabbed Sakura's foot, throwing her into a nearby building. Sakura got into a straight position and right when she was about to hit the wall, she instead used her legs to absorb impact and propel herself off of the wall, speeding towards a surprised Yammy.

"You didn't expect that did you?!" said Sakura, grinning at Yammy. She drew a kunai out of her ninja tool bag and slammed the point into the ground, slowing herself before she could reach Yammy. She then quickly spun around and swept Yammy's legs with her feet, knocking him to the ground.

"Why you little brat!" said Yammy as he fell to the ground. He quickly performed a handstand in mid-air and used his arms to push himself off of the ground with surprising agility before Sakura's fist could connect with his face. THUD! A giant spider web of cracks covered the ground as Sakura punched the ground.

Yammy performed a couple of hand seals in mid-air and slammed his hands into the ground. "Doton: Rising Mud Current!"

The ground in front of him suddenly cracked open, causing a giant wave of mud to speed violently towards Sakura. Sakura was slow to react, and she was swept up by the current and driven into the wall of an abandoned building that was right behind her. Yammy quickly executed a couple more hand seals and slammed his hands together. "Doton: Mud Dragon Bullet!"

A giant dragon made out of mud rose up from the wave of mud, opening its giant mouth and spitting giant balls of mud at Sakura. "AHHH!" cried Sakura as she was hit by a barrage of mud balls.

"You're weak!" said Yammy, laughing out loud as Sakura was helplessly battered by his jutsu. "You're nothing, just like your team was nothing! You were nothing without Naruto and Sasuke; admit it! You think that just because you were trained by one of the Three Legendary Sannin's you could catch up to Naruto and Sasuke? How stupid! Your master, the legendary Tsunade-hime, could easily destroy me in a matter of minutes! You, her student, can't even fight evenly against me! HAHAHAHA! Your master must be so disappointed!"

Sakura gritted her teeth as she grabbed a nearby chunk of rock and threw it at the Mud Dragon. The chunk of rock hit the dragon square in the mouth, preventing it from spitting out anymore mud balls. "Why are you saying all of these things?!" asked Sakura. "What are you trying to gain from all of this, huh?!"

Yammy grinned as he rolled his neck. "Why not? What's wrong with picking on the weak and the hopeless? Isn't that what you did to uh... oh, what was his name again? Uzumaki Naruto, was it?"

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. She opened her mouth to shout out a retort, but nothing came out. _Naruto… he's right…_

Yammy saw her starting to break and pushed even further. "He loved you, didn't he? He loved you, but because you were so obsessed with Sasuke, you constantly rejected and hated him, didn't you?

Sakura's head snapped up. "N-No! I n-never hated h-him...!"

"You and your village constantly despised him until what? Until he saved the village one time? Did you guys ever stop to think what he was going through even after that? Did you guys ever consider the fact that he was crying inside because of the hurt that you guys had caused him?"

Sakura bent her head in shame, tears leaking out of her eyes as her lips started to quiver in anguish. _I'm so sorry, Naruto! He's right! I don't deserve to have you as a friend; I don't deserve your love! Why would you love someone that's treated you so badly all of these years? How could you love someone that's despised and rejected you ever since we met at the academy?_

For the first time since they started fighting, Yammy looked serious but sad at the same time. "Rage," said Yammy quietly, looking down at the ground. "That's what Pain-sama saved me from. Each of us Espada's has had something in our lives that's haunted us. It made us the outcasts that we once were, and Pain-sama saved us from it."

* * *

Grimmjow, Tier, and Szayelaporro all bowed their heads, a look of bitterness in their eyes.

* * *

"Each of us Espadas represents a certain aspect of death," said Yammy. "The aspect of death that _I_ represent is 'rage.'"

Sakura looked up at him. "Rage?"

Yammy nodded. "Would you… like to know which aspect of death… Naruto represents?"

Sakura started to tremble violently as if she was almost scared of what the answer might be. Yammy closed his eyes and sighed. "Naruto… represents 'anguish.'"

Tears poured out of Sakura's eyes as she stared blankly at the ground. Her teeth were clenched in an attempt to stop the tears, but they continued to pour out regardless of what she did. _Naruto, oh Naruto… Please forgive me! I promise that if you ever come back to Konoha, I'll never let you go! So please, come back to me, Naruto!_

"Your village treated him like crap, and you guys seriously have the guts to go running to him whenever you're all in trouble? That's low even for me, gaki! If you hate someone, don't change your mind about them just because they choose to protect you or whatever! Make up your mind and stop being a baby about it!"

Sakura looked at Yammy, her eyes wide. "B-But, that's not the reason why I-…! I mean, I-…"

"Don't try to make up an excuse, gaki," said Yammy. "I may not like Naruto, but that doesn't mean that I don't respect him. Pain-sama gave us specific order not to kill any ninja's from Konoha, but I'll kill you alright. I'll kill you for Naruto."

Sakura narrowed her eyes and clenched her hands into a fist. "You're right," she said quietly. "Naruto's been nothing but nice to me, and I've treated him horribly ever since I've met him. I don't deserve to be his friend, and I definitely don't deserve his love…"

Yammy grinned. "So you admit it."

"But…"

Yammy narrowed his eyes. "But what?"

"But I've come to know the _real_ Naruto, and _that's_ the Naruto that I've come to know and love! Sure it might've been because he put everything on the line to prove himself to his village, but that's why he's Naruto! That's who he is, and that's who everyone in Konoha's come to know and love! I don't care what you say! I'm rescuing Inoue, but I'm also taking back Naruto! He's coming back to his village, and that's final!"

Yammy closed his eyes and shook his head. "Let's just finish this. You're not worth wasting my time over."

"You got that right," said Sakura.

They glared at each other for a while, neither of them moving an inch. "DIE, GAKI!" yelled Yammy, performing a couple of hands seals and slamming his hands on the ground. "Doton: Earth Dragon!"

A giant dragon rose up from the ground and roared, speeding towards Sakura. "HELL YEA!" shouted Sakura, punching the dragon square on the nose. The dragon roared as it crumbled into dust.

"GOT YA!" yelled Yammy, who was behind Sakura.

"AHHH!" cried Sakura as Yammy punched at her face. She managed to swerve away from the punch, but he still got her on the arm, sending her spinning a couple of inches away.

* * *

Choji shook his head as he tried to clear his mind. "Ugh… Where am I…? What's going on…?"

He turned his head and show Sakura and Yammy fighting each other around twenty feet away from where he was at. "S-Sakura… Oh yea, that's right! Sakura looks like she's getting beat up really bad! What should I do?!"

Choji looked around, and then he suddenly stopped as his eyes fell on an object that was lying next to Hiruko, who was lying on the ground just three feet away from him. _Hey, that's the item that we were supposed to use to signal the backup that's lying just outside of the village!_

Choji looked around and saw Sakura knock Yammy into a nearby building. _Ok, let's go!_

He crawled over to Hiruko as quickly as he could, stifling a groan as he felt one of his ribs crack. He grabbed the item, which was a black rectangular box with a red button in the middle of it, and pressed the button, sending the signal for reinforcements.

* * *

Yammy charged at Sakura, his fist drawn back. "DIE, GAKI!"

Sakura's eyes widened as she saw Yammy's large figure charging at her, and at that moment she lost her composure and screamed, ducking and punching him in the chest through sheer desperation. Yammy grabbed her wrist, twisting it and throwing her over ten feet away. He narrowed his eyes as he watched Sakura struggle to get up. _What's with that piece of crap? She just started freaking out all of a sudden. Oh well, it'll be easier for me to kill her then._

Yammy rolled his neck and slowly walked towards Sakura. "Well gaki, it's been fun, but as you probably know, all good things come to an end."

Sakura fell on her butt and crawled backwards, a scared look in her eyes. Yammy grinned at her and laughed out loud. "What's wrong, huh? Are you worried that you'll fail your team? Are you worried that you'll never get to rescue Naruto and Sasuke? HAHAHAHA! HOW PATHETIC!"

Sakura closed her eyes and clasped her hands together, trying to stop them from shaking. _He's right… I was just so worried and stressed out that I just snapped for some reason! I have to get it together if I want to rescue Inoue-san and Naruto… and Sasuke-kun! It's all up to me!_

Sakura took a deep breath and slowly stood up. Yammy narrowed his eyes as he noticed that her trembling had stopped. _She's back…_

"So you're back, huh?" said Yammy out loud. "It's about time."

Sakura clenched her hands into fists and glared at Yammy. "This is the end," said Sakura softly.

Yammy nodded slowly. "I agree."

"THEN LET'S GO ALREADY!" yelled Sakura, charging at Yammy.

"YOU ASKED FOR IT, GAKI!" roared Yammy, charging at Sakura.

THUD! Sakura and Yammy's fist collided with each other, the force of the impact causing the very air itself to tremble. The ground cracked and split open. Choji shielded his face with his arms as small pieces of rocks flew everywhere. Sakura and Yammy went flying backwards, both of them crashing into nearby buildings.

Sakura and Yammy both fell onto the ground, completely exhausted. Sakura struggled to get up, but she fell back on the ground, too tired to get up. She looked over at Yammy, who looked like he was just as equally exhausted as she was. Yammy glared at Sakura as he got onto his hands and knees. "W-Why you… l-little brat…" said Yammy with some effort. "I-I'll kill you f-for this…"

"W-We both lost…" said Sakura, getting onto her hands and knees as well. "I-!"

THUD! Sakura suddenly went crashing through the wall. Yammy looked up at Grimmjow, who was standing right in front of where Sakura was just a moment before. "She's an annoying *****, isn't she?" said Grimmjow, a menacing grin on his face.

"G-Grimmjow…" said Yammy, coughing up blood as he slowly got up into a sitting position. "What do you think you're doing?"

"It's time to ****** kill this *****," said Grimmjow, spitting on the ground. "You took too long, you idiot."

Yammy turned his head and spit out blood, rolling his neck and cracking it. "I just took the plague pill around fifty minutes ago."

Grimmjow closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head and sighing. "You're an idiot, Yammy. You know that the plague pills are only meant for Espada's Six and up."

Yammy rolled his eyes and threw a small piece of rock at Grimmjow, hitting him softly on the foot. "Oh shut up, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow rolled his neck and turned to look at the hole that he had sent Sakura crashing through. "Well, I guess that I might as well kill this ****** chick right now and get it over with."

Grimmjow reached into the hole and pulled Sakura out of it by her collar. "Alright you little piece of ****," said Grimmjow, pulling her close so that her face was just inches away from his. "It's time to die."

"Not so fast!"

Grimmjow, Sakura, and Yammy all turned their heads to see Temari, Kankuro, Sui-Feng, and five other ninja's standing around ten feet away from them. "Let go of the girl," said Sui-Feng.

Sui-Feng was a fairly average-sized female with black hair and gray eyes. Her hair was styled into two braids with white cloths, and each braid had a large golden ring attached to the end of it. She wore a black sleeveless haori with a white uniform, and underneath her uniform she wore a black sleeveless ninja uniform which exposed the sides of her bosom, as well as almost her whole entire back, and she also wore a black hakama with separate leggings which exposed a large portion of the side of her thighs, showing off the sides of her bottom undergarments.

Grimmjow tilted his head as he stared at the eight ninjas. "How interesting," he said, releasing his grip on Sakura. He took a couple of steps back so that he was around five feet away about her.

Sakura fell on the ground, a total look on exhaustion on her face. "T-Temari-san…" she said quietly. "K-Kankuro-san…"

Temari rushed over to Sakura and took her arm, slinging it over her neck. "Come on, Sakura. It's alright now."

She took Sakura and walked back to where Kankuro and the others were. "How are the others?" asked Temari, looking at Kankuro.

Kankuro glanced at the five guys that were tending Choji and the others. "Everyone's alright, but it seems that the taichou of this team is dead."

Sakura bowed her head as she remembered how Takun had sacrificed himself in order to save her and Ino. "Oy, you *******!"

Sakura lifted up her head to see Grimmjow looking at them, his arms crossed. "You guys must really be a bunch of idiots if you think that you guys can all get out of here alive. This is _Pain-sama's_ territory."

Sui-Feng narrowed her eyes as she reached for a large scroll that was attached to her back. "We'll just see about that," she said.

Grimmjow suddenly looked up as a hawk flew over the area, screeching as it circled the area. It flew back to where it came from after a couple of seconds. Grimmjow shook his head and sighed. "Geez... Couldn't I just have a couple more minutes to pulverize these *******?"

* * *

Pain was sitting on the roof of the Six Paths of Pain's Tower, one arm resting on his knee and one leg dangling over the edge of the roof. He smirked and grinned at Grimmjow's response. "You really test my patience, don't you?"

* * *

Grimmjow just scoffed and spat on the ground. "Oh well," he said. "It seems that Pain-sama has other plans for you *******. I'll see you ******* some other time. Later."

And with that, he disappeared.

"WAIT!" yelled Sui-Feng, an angry tone in her voice.

"Sui-Feng-taichou, let's just leave him be," said Kankuro. "At least we have another Espada. We can take him as a prisoner. It seems that the blue-haired guy forgot about him."

Sui-Feng and the others looked at Yammy, who was struggling to stand up. He suddenly collapsed on the ground, his skin turning from brown to a sickly light-brown color.

"Ugh…" groaned Yammy. "That stupid plague pill's side-effects must be kicking in."

"Alright," said Sui-Feng. "Here's the deal. Temari- you and Kankuro are coming with me to search for the girl. The rest of you guys- stay here and tend to the wounded. We're taking the dead guys body to bury back at Konoha."

"Yes, taichou," said one of the men who had come with Sui-Feng's team.

"Then let's move out!"

"Wait, Sui-Feng-taichou!" said Sakura, grabbing Sui-Feng by her ankle.

Sui-Feng narrowed her eyes as she looked back at Sakura. "What is it, gaki?"

"Please let me go with you!" said Sakura.

"I'm afraid that you can't," said Sui-Feng. "You can barely stand, let alone walk or run."

"Please!" pleaded Sakura, a desperate look in her eyes. "There's-… There's something that I need to confirm!"

"What is it, Sakura?" asked Temari, a curious look in her eyes.

Sakura bowed her head, tears leaking out of her eyes. "Naruto might be here… That's why-… That's why I have to go with you guys! Please! I'm begging you, let me go with you guys!"

Temari and Kankuro's eyes widened in shock. "N-Naruto?" said Temari.

"Yes," said Sakura. She looked back up at Sui-Feng. "Please."

Sui-Feng closed her eyes and sighed. "Very well then. Let's go."

* * *

Sakura and the others sped past a building, jumping over pipes and scaling walls. They ducked under a pipe and jumped over another pipe. Sui-Feng threw a kunai at a ninja that was a couple of feet away from them, killing him as the kunai pierced his neck.

They were after a ninja that wore similar clothes to what Yammy wore, hinting that he was probably an Arrancar.

"Don't let him get away!" said Sui-Feng. "I can see him right in front of us!"

"He's fast!" said Temari. She grabbed a scroll from her back and opened it up, quickly forming a hand seal for "release" with her hand. A small cloud of smoke appeared, and Temari quickly grabbed her fan that had been sealed in the scroll. She opened the fan and swung it at the figure that was running in front of them. "Fuuton: Crescent Blades!"

Five giant crescent-shaped blades of wind generated from Temari's fan, speeding towards the figure in front of them. The figure looked back and performed a couple of hand seals, taking a deep breath and exhaling a giant gust of wind from his mouth. The two jutsu's collided, canceling out most of Temari's jutsu.

"Dammit," cursed Temari. "He's a Fuuton user too, huh?"

The figure suddenly disappeared into an alley on the right. Sui-Feng and the others stopped in front the alley. Sui-Feng executed a couple of hand seals and slammed her hands on the ground. "Doton: Crumbling Earth!"

The ground in front of them exploded, causing the ground to resemble the aftermath of an earthquake. The figure was thrown into the air, but he managed to grab a pole, swinging himself onto a nearby building.

"Dammit!" cursed Sui-Feng. "Let's go!"

Sakura struggled not to faint as she reached into her pocket, taking out a black pill and eating it. _My special soldier pill will help me gain some of my chakra back._

"Hey, stop!" yelled Temari, swinging her fan at him. "Fuuton: Cyclone Boomerang!"

A giant blade of wind resembling a boomerang sped towards the figure, who ducked and kept on running. Temari grinned as he jumped off a roof, landing on the roof of the building in front of it.

Temari's giant blade of wind made a 180 degree turn and sped towards the figure again, hitting him square on the chest. The figure was knocked back, falling off the roof of the building and landing on the ground below with a loud THUD.

"We got you now!" said Sui-Feng, pinning the figure onto the ground with five kunai's. She jumped down from the roof of the building and landed in front of the figure. She placed her knee on his throat and pressed down slightly. "So, where's Inoue Orihime?"

The figure grinned and remained silent. Sakura narrowed her eyes and walked over to the figure, yanking him up by the collar of his uniform. "Alright, you!" said Sakura, a furious tone in her voice. "Tell us what we need to know, or else I'll-!"

"Sakura, huh?"

Sakura's eyes widened as she released her grip on the figure. _That voice… Could it be…?_

Kankuro's eyes widened as he looked up at the roof of the building. "No way…"

"Impossible…" whispered Temari, a look of shock in her eyes.

Sakura slowly lifted head and looked up at the roof of the building. Although the figure's shape was mostly blocked by the sun, she could see his orange and black outfit complete with a white haori. The figure wore a white mask, and Sakura could barely make out the figure's distinctive long blonde hair.

"N-Naruto…?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Yammy might be a little bit serious for you guys in my story, but that's only because I wanted to show the whole point of the Espadas. The Espadas in my story are much more serious and bitter in my story, so each Espada will be representing that in some way or another.**

**"You really test my patience, don't you?" This line is to show just how much Pain resembles and acts like the Deva Path.**

**Anyways, please follow and favorite my story if possible! I appreciate every single one of you guys that read my story, and each and every one of your reviews help me to write the next chapter! If you guys ever have any thoughts or suggestions, just leave a review, and I'll get back to you guys as soon as possible! Thanks!**


	24. Chapter 24: Reunion

**Chapter 24: Reunion**

"N-Naruto…?"

The blonde figure stared down at them, his hands inside of his pockets. He tilted his head as he looked down at the five figures. "You look beat up, Khan," said the figure.

The figure's voice sounded like Naruto's, but it was a much more dark and sinister, and it also had a dead tone to it.

"I'm sorry," said Khan, who was the figure that Sakura and the others had been chasing. "They're strong."

"Get up here," said the figure.

Khan suddenly shimmered and disappeared, reappearing beside the figure. "Get out of here," said the figure. "I'll deal with them."

"Yes sir," said Khan, bowing his head in respect before disappearing.

"So," said the figure. "Sakura, Temari, Kankuro, and a newbie, huh?"

Sui-Feng narrowed her eyes as she looked up at the blonde figure. "Are you Uzumaki Naruto?" she asked. "Answer me!"

The figure took his hands out of his pockets and reached for the back of his mask with his hand, unlatching it. He slowly took it off, and as the mask fell past his eyes, Sakura started to tremble, tears slowly falling down her face. "Naruto!" cried Sakura. "It's really you!"

Although Naruto's face looked almost the same as it did a year ago, it had changed so that he looked a lot more like his father, the Fourth Hokage. His eyes were now icy-blue, and his now-long bangs hung directly over his eyes.

_He looks way different from before…_ said Sakura to herself in her head. _His grew out his hair, and he looks so… cool…_

Temari stared at Naruto, a look of disbelief on her face. _I-Is that really Naruto?_

Sui-Feng stared at Naruto, a look of surprise on her face. _So this is the former hero of Konoha…_

Naruto put his mask back on and drew a small scroll from inside of haori. He opened it up and grabbed a large fuma shuriken that appeared from the scroll all in a split second. Naruto jumped down from the roof and landed right in the middle of the Sakura and the others, his haori flapping behind him. Sui-Feng quickly drew a kunai from her uniform and lunged at Naruto who ducked and used the fuma shuriken to disarm her. He twisted around and kicked at Temari who blocked his kick with her fan. Naruto used his legs to trap Temari's fan, and he pushed himself off of the ground with his hands so that he was spinning in mid-air, forcing Temari to release her grip on her fan.

Kankuro sent out his puppets that he had just summoned a couple of seconds ago after Naruto. "Go, Sasori!" said Kankuro, sending Sasori's old puppet body speeding towards the enemy.

Naruto performed multiple backflips in order to dodge the Sasori-puppet's blades, and then he suddenly flickered to the puppet's side, grabbing its arm and trapping the whole entire puppet with wire. Kankuro laughed. "That won't work, Naruto!"

The Sasori-puppet cut the wire with its arm blades, and it lunged at Naruto who retaliated by performing a couple of hand seals and slamming his hands on the ground. "Fuuton: Ground Breach," said Naruto calmly.

The ground beneath the Sasori-puppet began to shake, and then the ground exploded, a huge stream of air cutting and slashing the puppet until it was almost unrecognizable.

POOF! The puppet suddenly became a cloud of smoke. Naruto closed his eyes, his eyes almost invisible from behind his mask. _A Replacement Jutsu, huh?_

* * *

Sakura watched as Sui-Feng and the others fought against Naruto. _Naruto… Why are you doing this? Were the others really right about you this whole entire time? Did you really betray us, Naruto?_

* * *

Sui-Feng ducked as Naruto swung his fuma shuriken at her, kicking up with her legs. Naruto stepped back as Sui-Feng's foot kicked the fuma shuriken out of his hand and quickly grabbed her by the ankle, swinging her so that she crashed into Temari. He quickly jumped up as the Sasori-puppet stabbed at him, causing the puppet's blade to pierce the ground instead.

Sui-Feng threw ten kunai's at Naruto who easily dodged them. He retaliated by jumping up into the air and grabbing his fuma shuriken, throwing it at her with impressive strength. Sui-Feng ducked as the shuriken whistled over her head and slammed her hands on the ground. _Doton: Power Blow!_

The ground in front of her rumbled, and five large pillars made of earth shot up from the ground, catching Naruto by surprise. Naruto quickly formed a cross with his fingers and made a Shadow Clone. The Shadow Clone grabbed the original Naruto's hand and threw him out of the jutsu's range. The Shadow Clone took the full blow and disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

Naruto reached behind his back and grabbed the large scroll that was attached to his back. He opened it up and quickly executed a couple of hand seals. A large cloud of smoke appeared, and when the cloud of smoke disappeared, Sui-Feng and the others saw Naruto wielding another fuma shuriken. This fuma shuriken, however, had a silvery-white metallic blade, and the base of the blades were more rectangular than curved, and they were a little bit longer than the one's on the normal fuma shurikens.

"Fuma Ninpo: Shiro Manji Shuriken," said Naruto, holding the shuriken out by his side.

"WHAT?!"

Sui-Feng quickly jumped back, barely dodging the attack as Naruto suddenly appeared in front of her, swinging the fuma shuriken at her. _So fast!_ said Sui-Feng to herself as she looked at Naruto, who was calmly staring at her.

* * *

Sakura's eyes were wide as she observed the battle that was taking place in front of her. "N-Naruto…" whispered Sakura. "I-… I can't fight you… This is just like that time with Sasuke-kun… Why does this always happen to me?"

Temari glanced over at Sakura, who was frozen with fear. "Sakura!" yelled Temari. "Stop being weak! If you want to help Naruto, then come and fight him! This is the only way that we're going to be able to save him!"

Sakura flinched as she snapped out of her thoughts. "F-Fight Naruto?" _B-But… I can't…_

* * *

Naruto sped towards Temari, who had her fan once again, and ran around her, kicking her in the back. She went flying over ten feet before she crashed into a wall. "TEMARI!" yelled Kankuro. "CRAP!"

He yanked on his chakra strings, quickly executing amazing combinations with his fingers. "Kurohigi: Multiple Destruction!"

Over a twenty shurikens constantly shot out of the Sasori-puppet's chest every second, forcing Naruto to retreat backwards. "Naruto!" yelled Temari. "What's wrong with you?! Are you really trying to kill your comrades?!"

"We _were_ comrades," statedNaruto plainly. He threw multiple kunai's at the Sasori-puppet, but the puppet simply blocked the kunai's with its own.

* * *

Temari shook her head as she freed herself from the wall. _This Naruto… Just how much stronger has he become in a year? I will say this though- now I know why he was able to defeat the leader of the Akatsuki. If he's this strong without using Sennin Mode, then I don't even want to think about how strong he is with it._

* * *

Sui-Feng ducked as Naruto's fuma shuriken passed over her head, the fuma shuriken making a strange metallic whistling sound that caused her to wince. _This guy's strong… Of course, I expected nothing less from the former hero of Konoha._

Naruto quickly spun around and flickered to Sui-Feng's side. Sui-Feng grinned as she dodged a kick, grabbing Naruto by the ankle and kicking him in the chest. Naruto went flying into a wall, but he managed to balance himself and propel himself off of the wall, tossing the fuma shuriken up into the air and throwing a series of fast punches at Sui-Feng, who blocked all of them.

"Your Taijutsu skills are impressive," admitted Sui-Feng. "Even so, I come from a village where we mainly use Taijutsu, so you won't be able to beat me with just plain old Taijutsu!"

Naruto pushed himself off of the ground and executed an impressive series of hand seals in mid-air, taking a deep breath. _Fuuton: Bleeding Force!_

Temari's eyes widened in shock as she recognized the hand seals for the jutsu. "SUI-FENG-TAICHOU, GET OUT OF THERE!" yelled Temari, swinging the fan at Naruto in an attempt to stop him. "FUUTON: WIND HURRICANE!"

Temari's fan generated a giant gust of wind that sped towards Naruto, but it was too late. Naruto exhaled an enormous pressurized mass of wind, obliterating the whole entire area along with a couple of buildings that were in the area. Temari's jutsu collided with Naruto's jutsu, but it was easily overcome by the force of Naruto's pressurized mass of wind.

* * *

Once the smoke cleared up, Sakura looked at the damage that was caused by Naruto's jutsu as she struggled to get up. She had almost escaped the range of Naruto's jutsu, but she still had gotten caught inside of the blast.

* * *

Sui-Feng was lying on the ground, giant cuts all over her body. Her uniform was ripped everywhere, and her haori had cuts and rips all over it. She slowly got up into a sitting position and scanned the area. _What a jutsu… I can't believe that it did this much damage… If it wasn't for my speed, I would have been seriously injured._

Sui-Feng reached into her tattered uniform and pulled out a roll of bandages, which she then proceeded to wrap around her slightly exposed chest. She looked around and saw Temari, who had been protected by Sanshou thanks to Kankuro. Temari and Kankuro both jumped off of Sanshou, which had almost been destroyed by the jutsu, and studied the damage that Naruto had done.

* * *

Temari narrowed her eyes as she looked around the area. _I can't believe that Naruto's grown this much! He's even managed to master Fuuton: Bleeding Force, an A-Rank jutsu!_

Sakura slowly stood up with some effort and walked over to Sui-Feng and the others. She looked up at Naruto, who was staring at the ground, the fuma shuriken in his right hand. _Naruto…_

"We're finished here," said Naruto quietly, surprising them.

Sui-Feng narrowed her eyes and she stared at Naruto. "What do you mean, we're finished here?! We're not finished yet!"

"What's going on with you, Naruto?!" asked Sakura, a desperate look in her eyes. "Did you really betray us?!"

Naruto slowly shook his head. He unlatched his mask and took it off, looking straight into Sakura's eyes. "Why do you care?" he asked, a dead but bitter tone in his voice.

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. "W-What are you talking about? Of course I care about you! Please, Naruto… Come back to your home… Come back to me..."

Naruto's eyes suddenly turned hard. "All of you guys… You treat me like dirt for my whole entire childhood, and now that I've helped save the village a couple of times, you suddenly care about me?"

Sakura bowed her head as she thought back to what Yammy had said.

"_Rage," said Yammy quietly, looking down at the ground. "That's what Pain-sama saved me from. Each of us Espada's has had something in our lives that's haunted us. It made us the outcasts that we once were, and Pain-sama saved us from it."_

"_Naruto… represents 'anguish.'"_

"_Your village treated him like crap, and you guys seriously have the guts to go running to him whenever you're all in trouble? That's low even for me, gaki! If you hate someone, don't change your mind about them just because they chose to protect you or whatever! Make up your mind and stop being a baby about it!"_

Sakura sobbed into her hands, unable to control herself anymore. _You're right, Naruto! I treated you like crap ever since I've known you because I was so obsessed with Sasuke-kun! I can't just stand here and pretend that I had a good reason for doing that to you, but I wish that there was some way that I could make it up to you; even if it was just 1%, I would do anything to make up that 1% to you! Oh Naruto, please forgive me!_

Temari looked at Sakura with a sad look in her eyes. She walked over to her and wrapped her arms around her, comforting her.

Kankuro glared at Naruto, an angry look in his eyes. "Are you really the Naruto that we've known for so long?! The Naruto that we know would have NEVER said anything like that to his friends!"

"The Naruto that you guys used to know is dead," said Naruto quietly. "However, I'll give you guys a chance to leave right now. If you don't, then I'll kill you."

Sakura flinched as if Naruto had punched her in the face. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Naruto, a look of disbelief on her face. _Just what happened to you, Naruto?_

* * *

Sasuke watched Naruto and the others from a distance, his arms crossed. He narrowed his eyes as he heard what Naruto said to Sakura and the others. _Have you really forgotten what true strength is, Naruto?_

* * *

"Cya," said Naruto.

And with that, Naruto turned around and disappeared.

* * *

Sakura and the others arrived at the area where Ino and the others were at. "Are you alright, Sakura?!" asked Ino after seeing Sakura, a worried look in her eyes. Sakura's eyes were still red and puffy from crying so much.

Sakura nodded, giving Ino a sad grin. "I'm alright," she said quietly. "Thanks."

"So what happened?" asked Choji, looking at Sakura.

"We have to leave now," said Sui-Feng. "We're taking the team's taichou as well as the Espada. Let's hurry up and get out of here before anyone notices that he's missing."

Yammy closed his eyes, unable to move his body even an inch. _How embarrassing. Maybe I should've gone into my Resurrection form after all._

"Let's move out!" said Sui-Feng, turning around to leave.

"Yes ma'am!"

Sakura bowed her head as they left the village, a look of hopelessness in her eyes. _Naruto… I'm so sorry, Naruto…_

* * *

**So what did you guys think of this chapter? I tried to make Naruto a little bit cooler, but I'm not sure if I did it right, haha. Man, I've been really busy lately, so that's why it took so long to finish this chapter. I'll admit that I've been really down about not having gotten a single follow or favorite in the past two months (not exaggerating), but there are some people who have asked me not to discontinue my story, so I decided that I'll be continuing this story.**

**Anyways, I've been pretty excited (really excited) about this chapter because this is basically when Naruto's shown as a much cooler, calm, and serious person who's been reminded of his horrible childhood by Pain. I hope that you guys all enjoy it, and if you think that it wasn't good or that Naruto shouldn't have been made so cool and serious, then please feel free to leave a review! Any review is welcome as long as it's not a full-on hate message!**

**Other Information/Messages:**

**- Fuuton: Bleeding Force is an A-Rank jutsu in my story.**

**- I'll be updating my story around every 2 - 3 weeks from now on, but if I see that you guys liked this story a lot through reviews, follows, and favorites, then I might update the next chapter in like just a couple of days!**

**Oh, and thanks to the three people that favorite my story today (06/22/2013)! You guys know who you are! So because of that, I'll try to finish the next chapter as soon as possible!**


	25. Chapter 25: The Arrancar Invasion

**Chapter 25: The Arrancar Invasion**

(The Hidden Stone Village: The Interrogation Room)

_One week later…_

Ibiki walked out of the torture room and wiped his hands on a wet towel that someone handed him. "It's no use," said Ibiki, sighing in disappointment.

"What do you mean that's it's no use?" asked the Tsuchikage, his eyes narrowed.

Ibiki leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. "I don't know who this guy is, but he's extremely tolerable to pain. I tried using every single type of torture method that I know, but he's remained silent throughout the whole entire thing."

"So what are you suggesting that we do?"

Ibiki closed his eyes and sighed. "If you give me thirty minutes alone with him, I can guarantee you that he'll be blubbering like a little girl by the time I'm done with him."

The Tsuchikage mused over the idea for a couple of seconds before turning to Tsunade. "What do you think, Tsunade-hime?"

Tsunade grinned. "I trust Ibiki," she said. "If you give him thirty minutes alone with the prisoner, then the prisoner will talk."

"I'm just worried that he might go too far," said the Raikage, walking up to Ibiki and the others. "I remember when you guys sent back a man that you had him interrogate. He was still blubbering like a little girl, and in the end we had to put him in the hospital for over a month before he was well enough to be discharged." He cracked his knuckles as he said this, glaring comically at Ibiki.

Ibiki gulped and stepped backwards, his eyes wide. He chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Ah... Well-, you see..."

Tsunade looked down at the floor. "Well, that's not _my_ fault," she grumbled.

"We might as well try," said the Mizukage. "It's not like we have any other option."

Gaara nodded. "Getting as much information as possible from the prisoner about Pain is our main priority right now. Let's do it."

Ibiki walked into the interrogation room and studied the prisoner. Yammy was tied up in a chair with steel ropes, and his whole entire body was covered with cuts, burnt marks, and scratches. He had long slashes down the sides of his body, and Ibiki could see a couple of his ribs. His face was almost unrecognizable because of all the gashes and wounds covering it, and the right side of his face looked like it was almost been torn apart by a wild animal. Part of his cheek bones and jaw bones were visible, and he was soaked in blood. The area around him was covered in a puddle of blood, and there were torture tools lying all over the floor.

"So," said Ibiki. "How's our prisoner doing?"

Yammy slowly lifted up his head to look at him, a dead look in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a trickle of blood. Yammy turned his head and coughed out blood, wincing in pain when he did.

Ibiki nodded. "I see. Well, I have some good news and bad news for you. Which one would you like first?"

Yammy stared at him, unamused.

Ibiki grinned at him. "Alright then. I'll tell you the good news first. The good news is that the torture is done."

…

"Now, the _bad_ news is that you and I are going to have a talk very soon. We'll be sending in a couple of Iryo-nin's to heal you to the point where you can talk, and then we'll have our discussion very soon."

Yammy bowed his head, his eyes blank.

Ibiki struggled not to feel sorry for the Espada as he walked out of the room. Every time he did this, he felt as if he was losing a piece of himself. He sighed and shook his head, trying to get the negative thoughts out of his mind.

* * *

(The Hidden Stone Village: War Room)

"TSUCHIKAGE-SAMA!"

The Tsuchikage and the Mizukage turned their heads to see a Hidden Stone Chunin slamming open the door and running towards them. "What is it?" asked the Tsuchikage.

The Chunin struggled not to lose his composure. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. "Th-There's-! O-Outside-, th-there's-!"

"Calm down and straighten up!" said the Tsuchikage.

The ninja suddenly straightened up, his eyes wide. "Now, tell us what's going on," ordered the Tsuchikage.

"Y-Yes sir!" said the Chunin, saluting the Tsuchikage. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening his eyes. "There's three men outside of the village, and two of them look like they're…"

The Mizukage narrowed her eyes. "They look like they're _what_?"

The Chunin gulped. "Arrancars, Mizukage-sama."

The two Kages eyes widened in shock. "Arrancars?!" exclaimed the Mizukage. "Here?!"

"Yes sir," said the Chunin. "Also, the third person with them has been identified as Uchiha Sasuke!"

The two Kages remained silent for a couple of seconds. The Mizukage turned to the Chunin. "Secure and fortify our defenses right away."

"Yes ma'am!" said the Chunin, saluting her.

"And also…"

"Ma'am?"

"Summon Sui-Feng, Komamura, and Hitsugaya Toshiro right away!" ordered the Mizukage, her eyes narrowed.

"Yes ma'am!"

* * *

(The Entrance of the Hidden Stone Village)

"Mizukage, you called?" said Hitsugaya when he, Sui-Feng, and Komamura had gathered at the entrance of the village.

"Yes," said the Mizukage. "Two Arrancar's have been spotted outside of our village, along with Uchiha Sasuke, and they've been standing outside of the village for the last twenty minutes. They haven't attacked so far, so we're going to go and-."

"Oy, is anyone there?!" called a voice from the other side of the entrance. "Come on out you *******!"

Sui-Feng narrowed her eyes. "The Arrancar's, huh?"

"Well, as hosts, we shouldn't neglect our guests," said Komamura. "Let's go out and greet them."

* * *

"Quiet down, Ggio."

Ggio was a slim male with messy black hair which was braided into a ponytail in the back. He had bright golden eyes, and he had a face that was young and slightly feminine, but it was still clear that he was a male. He carried a medium-length katana on his left side, and he had a skull of a Saber-tooth tiger on the top of his head. He wore a white mandarin-style jacket which had the front slightly exposed, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He had an upturned collar and wore a white male hakama with separate leggings.

"Shut up, Poww," said Ggio, glancing over at the giant who was next to him. "We're Baraggan-sama's Fraccion! We shouldn't be forced to wait this long! If they don't come out in the next couple of minutes, I'm going in there myself and killing every single person in that stupid ridiculous village."

Poww was an unusually large male with very short black hair and small black eyes that looked a little bigger than slits. He wore a white Chinese garb-like uniform with long sleeves and the white hakama that all of the other Arrancar's wore. He was roughly over eight feet tall.

Sasuke remained silent, staring at the entrance of the village with a blank look on his face.

"So, you're Uchiha Sasuke, huh?"

Sasuke grinned, still facing forward. "There's not much people who can sneak up on me like that."

He and the others turned around to see Sui-Feng behind them. Ggio narrowed his eyes and licked his lips. "Well, hello there. Looks like I finally found my soul mate."

Sui-Feng narrowed her eyes. "Shut up, pansy," she said. "I don't date little boys who look like girls."

Ggio rolled his neck. "You know, you should be more careful who you talk to like that."

"Ggio…" said a voice from behind him.

Ggio's eyes widened, and then he grinned, his eyes full of malice. "Komamura…"

Sui-Feng looked over Sasuke's shoulder at Komamura, who was standing behind Sasuke and the others. "Komamura, you know this girl?"

Komamura shook his head. "Be careful, Sui-Feng. He's a former Jonin from this village, and he was highly regarded by the Tsuchikage himself."

Ggio smirked as he stared at Sui-Feng. "That's right, _little girl_," he said, mocking Sui-Feng. "As I said, you should be more careful who you talk to like that."

Sui-Feng grinned. "Well, it looks like I found my opponent. I'll take him, Komamura."

"Wait," said Hitsugaya, suddenly shimmering and appearing besides Komamura. He was wearing a white sleeveless haori with a long-sleeved black outfit underneath it. "Why are you guys here?"

Sasuke tilted his head. "No reason in particular," he said calmly. "We were given an order, and we're just simply obeying them."

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes. "Stop talking nonsense and just answer my question."

"Very well then," said Sasuke, slowly unzipping his cloak. He took off his cloak and tossed it a couple feet away from him, drawing his sword from its sheath on his back. "I think that _this_ will answer your question."

Hitsugaya drew his sword that was on his back as well, holding it out in front of him. It was an elegant katana with a hilt and guard that was engraved with dragon designs.

Komamura looked at Poww, who stared at him with an interested look in his eyes. "So you're my opponent?" asked Poww. "Nice doggy."

Komamura growled at him. "I'm a _wolf_, fat man."

Poww narrowed his eyes. "Bad doggy. I guess that I have to teach you a lesson, doggy."

Komamura rolled his neck and made sure that his bronze gauntlets were on tightly. He grinned at Poww, showing off his sharp white fangs.

* * *

The Mizukage watched as the two sides confronted each other. "It seems that they're about to fight," she said.

"What should we do, Mizukage-sama?" asked Ao. "Should we go ahead and dispatch reinforcements?"

"No," said the Mizukage, shaking her head. "They're more than capable of handling themselves, and I've already sent for almost every Jonin in the village just in case."

Ao narrowed his eyes. "I hope that it will be enough. Currently, we only have five members of the Twelve Ninja Guardians here in this village, and since the other three kage's have already left for Konoha, we only have two Kages here, but you and the Tsuchikage are currently needed in the war room. Almost the entire troop is currently stationed at either Konoha or the Hidden Cloud Village, so we only about around forty Chunin's and Jonin's here with us."

The Mizukage nodded and turned around, heading for the war room. "I'll leave it up to you, Ao, but don't send for any reinforcements unless it's absolutely necessary."

Ao bowed his head in respect. "Yes ma'am."

* * *

Both sides started at each other, neither side moving. Ggio winked at Sui-Feng, staring at her exposed sides and thighs. "Nice clothes. Very reveaaalinggg," he said, dragging out the last word.

"Shut up," said Sui-Feng, glaring at him. "Watch your mouth before I teach you a lesson that you'll never forget."

"Try me," said Ggio, grinning at her.

Sui-Feng and Ggio stared at each other for a brief moment, neither of them even twitching.

THUD! Ggio's eyes widened in shock as Sui-Feng tackled him, grabbing him by the throat. Komamura and the others watched as they went speeding across the area until they were just two small dots. Komamura turned to Poww, who was calmly staring at him.

"Well, it looks like we can finally get down to business," said Komamura, snarling at him.

Poww tilted his head, his face completely blank. "Why not."

Komamura performed a couple of hand seals and slammed his hands on the ground. "Doton: Rising Earth!"

The ground beneath them started to tremble, and a huge pillar of earth slowly rose from the ground, rising until it was over a hundred feet off of the ground. "Now we're ready," said Komamura.

Poww looked around the makeshift battleground. He turned to Komamura and blinked once.

"Heh."

* * *

Hitsugaya stared at Sasuke, who was looking up at the sky lazily. "Oy, you there," said Hitsugaya. "Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke looked at Hitsugaya, an immobile expression on his face. "What is it?"

The corner of Hitsugaya's mouth twitched. "A cool one, aren't you?"

Sasuke blinked.

…

Hitsugaya took his stance, his sword held out in front of him. "Hitsugaya Toshiro," he said, introducing himself. "It'll be an honor to fight against a member of the infamous Uchiha Clan."

Sasuke gave him a dangerous smile. "Heh… Well, let's get to it then."

* * *

**Well, I hoped that you guys are excited for Hitsugaya and Sasuke's fight as much as I am! I'll admit that it might not turn out as good as I'm hoping that it'll be, but I promise that I'll try to make it as good as possible! I'll be posting the next chapter in a couple of weeks, so see you guys then!**

**Also, make sure that you guys check out my profile and vote on my poll! The question is basically about when Ichigo faces Aizen and what you guys want to see happen after that. Will Ichigo lose his powers, or will he end up keeping them? Make sure to vote! Thanks!**


	26. Chapter 26: Guardians vs Arrancars

I realize that the fights might be a little bit boring or badly typed, but I was having a busy week so please bear with me on this. Anyways, if any of you guys are wondering after you finish reading this chapter, Sui-Feng is NOT going to be paired with Ggio (although I don't know how they would be paired since they're enemies lol).

Well anyways, I hope that you enjoy this chapter (you probably won't). Honestly, I liked how I wrote out Sui-Feng and Ggio's fight, but I REALLY didn't like how I wrote out Komamura and Poww's fight to be honest. It was a disaster, but oh well, what can you do? A busy week is a busy week. Anyways, enjoy!

**Chapter 26: Guardians vs Arrancars**

Ggio narrowed his eyes as Sui-Feng carried him across the area, surprised by the sudden move. _This chick… She's pretty fast…_

Ggio grabbed her arm, throwing her over his shoulders in mid-air. Sui-Feng quickly spun around and landed safely on the ground. She looked up at Ggio, a grin appearing on her face. _Heh… Not bad for a girly guy…_

Sui-Feng flickered from her place to Ggio's side, swinging her leg at his face. Ggio quickly ducked and grabbed her by the ankle, throwing her across the terrain. Sui-Feng quickly drew a kunai from her uniform and slammed it into the ground, quickly drawing ten kunai's and throwing them at him.

Ggio easily dodged all of them, catching one of them right as it passed by him and throwing it right back at Sui-Feng. She simply swerved her head, easily dodging it. "How pathetic," said Sui-Feng. "Your Taijutsu skills are impressive for a kid though; I'll give you that much."

Ggio grinned. "So cocky. I **love** that."

He quickly performed a backflip and propelled himself off of a rock, executing a couple of hand signs in mid-air and taking a deep breath. "Doton: Mud Ball!"

Ggio spat out a round of mud balls at Sui-Feng who dodged them all and retaliated by suddenly disappearing and reappearing behind, kicking him square in the back. Ggio flew over fifty feet before crashing into a rock. "What a rookie," said Sui-Feng, scoffing at him.

"Not quite," said a voice behind her.

Sui-Feng's eyes widened as she quickly spun around. THUD! Sui-Feng went flying as Ggio, who was standing behind her, kicked her in the stomach. "Heh. It's called a replacement jutsu, beautiful," said Ggio, rolling his neck.

Sui-Feng slammed a kunai into the ground, stopping her movement. _This guy… I can see why Komamura warned me about him._

"I'm the strongest member of high highness's Fraccion," said Ggio. "Don't think that you'll be able to defeat me!"

Sui-Feng rolled her neck and flickered to Ggio's side. "Oh yea? Let's just see about that."

Ggio blocked Sui-Feng's kick with his arms and swung his leg at her face. Sui-Feng ducked and kicked Ggio's knee, causing him to collapse. She quickly spun around and got him in a leg lock. Ggio narrowed his eyes. _This *****… Her Taijutsu skills are superior to mine. I won't be able to beat her like this. It seems that I'll have to incorporate some more Ninjutsu into this battle._

Ggio tapped Sui-Feng's arm. "Doton: Light-Weight Rock Jutsu."

Sui-Feng's eyes widened. _****!_

Ggio grabbed her now-light leg and threw it off of him, spinning around and performing a handstand, propelling himself off of the ground using his hands.

Sui-Feng quickly executed a couple of hand seals and tapped her leg with her hand, canceling out Ggio's jutsu. She jumped up into the air and threw a fast series of punches at him. Ggio ducked and weaved, managing to dodge most of her punches, but Sui-Feng managed to land a few good blows here and there. "TAKE… THIS!" yelled Sui-Feng, grabbing him by the throat and slamming her foot down hard on his stomach.

"AH-… AGHHH!" screamed Ggio, crashing into the ground below.

* * *

"You ready to go, fatso?"

Poww grinned at Komamura, stretching out his arms and legs. "Puny dog," he said slowly. "Funny."

Komamura scratched the back of his head._ What's with this guy? He talks like five-year old. Is-, is it even ok for me to kill this guy…?_

Poww slowly advanced towards Komamura with a pathetic swagger to his walk. Komamura rolled his neck and put his fists up in front of his face, ready to do battle. Poww grinned as he walked towards the oversized wolf. "You think you're strong, but you're just an animal."

Komamura growled. "Don't mock me."

"Ohhh," tutted Poww. "Did I make the big doggy mad?"

"SHUT UP!" Komamura roared, swinging his fist at Poww. His eyes widened in shock as Poww grabbed his fist, an almost lazy quality to his movements.

The impact caused the very air itself to tremble, but Poww simply just stood there as if nothing had happened. "W-What the-."

Poww sighed. "How pathetic."

THUD! Komamura went flying over twenty feet as Poww punched him in the chest. He struggled to get up as he studied Poww, a surprised look on his face. _This guy… He may act like an idiot, but his strength is almost unreal. I need to step up my game and get serious, or __**I'll**__ be the one that ends up dead._

Komamura cracked his neck and groaned. "I'll admit that you pack a pretty hard punch. It seems that I've underestimated you, fatso. I won't make that same mistake twice."

Poww simply just stared at him. "Heh… Funny dog."

Komamura closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing in exasperation. _This isn't any fun at all…_

* * *

THUD! Sui-Feng watched as Ggio crashed into the ground, the impact causing a mini shockwave. She landed in front of Ggio's lifeless body, her eyes narrowed. "As I said- pathetic…"

"Not so quite," said a voice behind her.

POOF! Ggio scoffed and looked around. "Heh… A Replacement Jutsu, huh?"

He suddenly ducked, dodging Sui-Feng's kick. She grinned and quickly flipped over on her hands, spinning and tripping Ggio using her legs. Ggio's eyes widened in surprise as he fell. "Whoa!"

"You're finished!" yelled Sui-Feng, swiftly jumping back to her feet. She threw a couple of shurikens at Ggio as a distraction and rushed behind him, landing a kick on his back.

Ggio balanced himself in mid-air and landed on the ground safely, skidding to a halt. "Heh… So I guess that this is all that a leader of the ANBU Black Op's can do."

Sui-Feng smirked. "Don't underestimate us, you idiot! You may be a Jonin, but in our league, you're just a cocky kid who had nowhere to go except down," she said, emphasizing the last part of the sentence by pointing down at the ground.

Ggio scoffed at her. "In _your_ league? Are you kidding me? I'm stronger than you because I'm in a league that's far greater than yours. My league is stronger than your league, and my boss is far far stronger than your boss."

Sui-Feng laughed out loud. "How ridiculous. If _you're_ the best that your boss has got, then I'm pretty sure that I can handle him."

Ggio clenched his teeth. "You have no idea what you're saying," he said softly. "If you met our boss yourself, you couldn't even _begin_ to comprehend his powers. You think that I just decided to leave the village and go running to an old fart, huh? Well, you're wrong. I went running to not a man, but something beyond that."

Sui-Feng scoffed at that statement. "Oh really? A _kami_, was it?"

Ggio shook his head, a forced smile on his face. "No, not a kami. There's only one god in this world in my opinion, but it's definitely not our boss. No, he's not a god, but he's definitely the closest thing that we have to the legendary Senju Hashirama."

Sui-Feng narrowed her eyes. "What are you trying to say? Hurry up and spit it out!"

Ggio smiled and shook his head. "You don't understand me because you don't know him. Very well then- let me try to say it like this. The last major opponent that he fought was… Uchiha Madara."

Sui-Feng's eyes widened in shock. "W-What? Uchiha Madara? Don't be ridiculous! There's no way that your boss could've fought against Uchiha Madara and still be alive! Don't joke around with me, kid!"

He grinned at her, his voice dripping with malice when he spoke. "Oh, but I'm not joking. He not only fought against Uchiha Madara but _survived_. That's what's so frightening about him. It's not his overwhelming power, but the fact that he was able to fight against someone who was able to fight par-on-par with the legendary Senju Hashirama and survive."

Sui-Feng unconsciously took a step backwards. "B-But… that's impossible… Just what is he…?"

"He's a legend," stated Ggio bluntly. "He's someone that I believe has surpassed even Uchiha Madara, and no one in the Allied Shinobi Forces is a match for him. Weep in despair, woman. Weep for the future of humanity. Even Pain-sama fears and respects his undeniable power; how much more should us mere humans?"

* * *

(The Hidden Stone Village: Interrogation Room)

Ibiki leaned his arm against the table as he stared Yammy lying slumped up against a chair. "So-," started Ibiki.

"You… have no idea… what the ****… you've gotten yourself into," said Yammy between sharp breaths. Although the Iryo-nin's had healed him quite a lot, he still looked nothing like his former self.

Ibiki raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Well, we're not here to talk about that now, are we?" He walked over to Yammy and crouched down in front of him. "Fear. Do you know what fear is?"

Yammy rolled his eyes and bared his teeth at Ibiki. "Do your worst, trash."

Ibiki laughed out loud. "Oh, I already did, Espada. Even my special summoning jutsu didn't have much effect on you."

Yammy smirked-, or at least, he tried to. With a part of his jawbone visible, Yammy's smirk would have scared a kid to death. "So what now? Since you've already done your worst on me, what more can you do to me?"

Ibiki closed his eyes and shook his head, sighing in exasperation as if he was talking to a child. "That, my friend, was _pain_. What I'm about to do to you _now_ is _fear_."

Yammy narrowed his eyes. He struggled against the steel ropes that bound him, but he was still too weak. _****… I have a bad feeling about this…_

Ibiki pressed his index and middle finger against his temple and stretched out his other hand as if he was trying to read Yammy's mind. "So judging by the information that we have on you, you're from the Pebble Village in the Land of Earth, am I correct?" Ibiki grinned at this. "How ironic…"

…

"Oh, and don't tell me…" Ibiki inhaled sharply as if he suddenly thought of something. "I've read everything about you, Yammy Llargo. I know that such a loyal ninja like you wouldn't leave his village if it wasn't for…" Ibiki opened his eyes and looked at him. "Anger? Hostility?- Yammy's eyes widened as Ibiki started rapidly listing a number of options- Depression? Solitude? Loneliness? Rage?"

Yammy's eyes widened even further at this, and even though it was a very simple reaction, Ibiki automatically knew.

"So… rage," said Ibiki, standing up. "Is that what Pain saved you from? Is that what he promised to save you from? Is that what-?"

"Shut up!" yelled Yammy, trying to break free of his bindings. "I'll ******* kill you!"

Ibiki's eyes widened as he put the pieces of the puzzle together. "So, that's what the report was talking about…"

"What the hell are you talking about? Tell me!" demanded Yammy.

Ibiki looked at Yammy. Even though Yammy was tied down to a chair, his eyes met Ibiki's. "The death of your… family? Or was it the death of your lover? But curiously enough, instead of choosing the path of solitude, you chose rage…"

Yammy stopped struggling and stared at Ibiki, his eyes wide. "H-, how d-do you…?"

Now, although Yammy didn't know this, Ibiki was simply guessing by naming the most occurring tragedies that was at the top of his head. It was a little mind game of sorts. Ibiki noticed the look in Yammy's eyes slightly shifting when he mentioned "lover," so he knew that he had hit the right spot.

"So, your lover? Oh, what was her name again? A-, no, Ba-, no no, that wasn't it either."

"Sanami!" shouted Yammy, unable to help himself. He flinched as he realized what had happened.

"So, Sanami." Ibiki slammed his hands together, startling an already-frightened Yammy. "Sanami," he said again. "She died a gruesome death I'm sure. How was it, Espada? Oh, and let me tell you this. It's not good to suppress all of your emotions like that. Whatever Pain did to help you, you will never stop seeing the bloody face of your lover as she-."

"Stop..." whispered Yammy, his eyes wide as he stared at the ground. He looked at his trembling hands and flinched as if he was unable to comprehend what was happening. "I'll ****** kill you..."

Ibiki grinned even though he felt dead on the inside. _Now we're getting somewhere._ He knelt in front of Yammy and grabbed the front of his outfit, yanking him so that Yammy's eyes met his. "Now, tell me about Pain, or I swear that I'll have you screaming for death you scum."

* * *

Sui-Feng scoffed. "Us mere humans? You're making it sound like we don't even have a chance of defeating him."

"But you don't! His powers far exceed the puny limitations that we mere ninjas shackle ourselves to!" exclaimed Ggio, spreading his arms wide to emphasize his point. "You guys have no hope of defeating him, let alone Pain-sama."

The female ANBU narrowed her eyes as she took her stance. "Well then… If I can't defeat _him_, then I guess that I'll just have to settle for you!" she exclaimed, speeding towards a smirking Ggio.

Ggio dodged Sui-Feng's punch and performed a backflip in mid-air, kicking Sui-Feng in the chin mid-way. Sui-Feng executed a couple of hand seals as she went flying backwards, landing promptly on her feet as two clones appeared on either side of her. _Heh… The Hidden Stealth Village's special Mirage Clone Jutsu._

Ggio grinned. "Five of you guys won't make a difference," he drawled. "Bring it on."

"Let's go!" said Sui-Feng, pointing at Ggio.

Sui-Feng's clones rushed at Ggio, the original just a few steps behind them. Ggio sighed and lazily swung at one of them… and his punch passed right through the clone.

Ggio's eyes widened in shock as he fell through the clone. _What?! What kind of jutsu is this? Is this a Genjutsu? I definitely could've sensed it if it was just a regular Clone Jutsu, but I sensed chakra emitting from these clones! Just what's going on here?!_

"Oh ****!" cried Ggio as Sui-Feng swung her leg at him with all of her strength.

THUD! Sui-Feng's foot connected with Ggio's face, sending him flying over twenty feet. Ggio landed on the ground hard, skidding to a stop against a large rock that was behind him. He struggled to get up, but he was too badly wounded. He lay propped up against the rock, a giant bruise on the right side of his face as well as a black eye that was almost swollen shut.

"You s-stupid ****," he wheezed. "Just what was that jutsu?"

Sui-Feng walked over to him, a huge grin on her face. "Surprised you, didn't I? In case you were wondering- no, that wasn't a Genjutsu or a regular Clone Jutsu; it's my village's own unique jutsu- the Mirage Clone Jutsu."

"A M-Mirage Clone J-Jutsu?"

"Yea," said Sui-Feng. "We incorporate a little bit of Genjutsu into the Clone Jutsu to make it seem as if it was an actual solid clone of us. Clever, isn't it?"

"H-How ridiculous," said Ggio weakly. "Y-You can't beat me…"

Sui-Feng stepped on his chest, causing him to wince in pain. "It seems like I just did."

* * *

(The Hidden Stone Village: Interrogation Room)

"Ibiki-san!"

Ibiki turned around from interrogating Yammy and saw a Hidden Stone Village Chunin slam open the door, running into the room. "Ibiki-san, we-!"

The Chunin stopped and stared at the violently trembling Yammy, his eyes wide. "What is it?" asked Ibiki.

"Oh!" The Chunin turned back to Ibiki. "You need to come with me right away, Ibiki-san! We have a serious problem on the other side of the village, and we need all the help that we can get!"

Ibiki nodded, and the Chunin bolted through the door, Ibiki following him closely behind. After they left, Yammy bowed his head. _That piece of ****… I swear that I'll kill him… I-I'll-!_

THUD! Yammy's head shot up as the wall on his right exploded, pieces of rock and wood flying everywhere. He squinted as he tried to make out the figure that was behind the cloud of dust. "W-Who are you? Who the **** is that?"

A low chuckling filled the air as the cloud of dust began to settle down. "You never _did_ learn how to sense an opponent, did you, Yammy?"

Yammy's eyes widened as he recognized the voice. "G-Grimmjow?"

* * *

"WHOA!"

Komamura quickly ducked as Poww's fist swung over his head. _That was close._ "Not so fast!" said Komamura as his arm shot up. He grabbed Poww's arm and threw him over his shoulder with an impressive speed for his size.

"Oh no you don't!" exclaimed Komamura as Poww went flying.

He quickly ran up to the giant and grabbed him before he could land on the ground, quickly kneeing him in the stomach. Poww "oofed" as the wind was knocked out of him. Komamura swung his arm up and landed an uppercut on Poww's jaw, sending him crashing to the ground a few feet away.

Poww got up and spat out of a tooth. "You'll pay for that," he growled, glaring at Komamura.

The oversized wolf bared his teeth at him, showing off his pointed fangs. "Try me."

Poww started off in a trot, but he soon got into a full-on run, charging at Komamura with his head slightly bent like a rhinoceros. Komamura simply stepped aside and jumped up into the air, slamming his fist down on Poww's back. Poww crashed onto the ground hard, his face thudding against the hard surface of the ground. "Ugh…" moaned the oversized giant as he rubbed his head.

"You finished yet?" mocked Komamura.

Poww maintained his position for a brief second before swinging his fist at Komamura's chest, knocking him backwards. Komamura winced as the wind was knocked out of him. He struggled to get up as Poww walked towards him with a slightly less swagger to his walk. "This is the end," he said, slowly drawing out each word.

Komamura grinned as he stared at the ground. "Not quite!" he said, jumping up and performing a flip in mid-air. He slammed his fist into Poww's face in mid-air, sending his face thudding onto the ground below. A giant spider web of cracks appeared as Poww's face hit the ground. Komamura kicked him over and looked at Poww's bloodied face. "Well, that was easier than I thought," said Komamura to no one in particular.

"Grrr…"

Komamura's eyes widened as Poww slowly got up, a furious look on his usually blank face. "Well well well, what do we have here?" said Komamura, a grin appearing on his face. "You're a lot tougher than I thought."

"RAAAHHH!" screamed Poww, slamming his fist into Komamura's face.

THUD! Komamura went flying over fifty feet before crashing on the ground. "Ugh… My body… I can barely move…"

Poww charged at Komamura, his fist drawn back. "DIE, DOG!" he screamed, spit flying out of his mouth.

Komamura closed his eyes and took sharp breaths. _I-… I can't do anything to stop him… I didn't want to use this since I haven't perfected it yet, but at this point, I have no other choice. Tsuchikage-sama, please let this work!_

He slowly executed a couple of hand seals and slammed his hands together. _Doton: Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō!_

Poww slowed down and came to a halt as he felt the ground beneath him tremble. He looked over Komamura shoulder to see an object slowly rise up from the ground. "What is that thing?"

* * *

Hitsugaya and Sasuke stared at the giant object rising from the ground, a look of shock on their faces. Sasuke unconsciously took a step backwards as the object continued to rise. _I-Is that a summoning? If so, that's even bigger than a Bijuu!_

* * *

Poww's jaw dropped as he stared the object towered of him, its shadow enveloping a good chunk of the area. "Behold my ultimate jutsu," said Komamura weakly. "Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō."

The object- a giant samurai, was over one hundred and fifty meters tall, and it carried a giant sword with a black blade that was over a hundred meters long. It was wearing a black armor similar to those that the samurai's wore, and it also wore a black helmet which had two horns that pointed forward. It completed its outfit with a red sash-like mask that covered most of its face; the only thing that was visible was its glowing yellow eyes.

Poww stepped backwards until he fell on the ground, still staring up at the giant creature that was staring down at everyone. "T-That's…"

Komamura struggled not to fall unconscious. _This jutsu still requires way too much chakra… Even with my large chakra reserves, I can't maintain this jutsu for more than a minute. I still need to practice my control over it. If it wasn't for my large chakra reserves, I would be dead right now._

Komamura turned his concentration on maintaining his jutsu. The giant samurai slowly raised its sword, turning its gaze to him. Poww raised his hand, his eyes growing large as the giant raised his sword.

"W-Wait… J-Just wait a s-second… W-Wait… Wait… WAIT!"

* * *

THUD! Hitsugaya and Sasuke, as well as the people that were stationed near the entrance of the Hidden Stone Village, shielded their face with their arms as Komamura's giant pillar of earth was split in two. The force of the swing completely obliterated the pillar, as well as a giant part of the area, sending giant chunks of rocks flying everywhere. Hitsugaya and Sasuke planted their feet firm on the ground in order to avoid getting blown away. _What monstrous strength!_ said Sasuke to himself. _There's no way that anyone could've survived that blow. Even a Bijuu would have had a hard time recuperating from that attack…_

* * *

Komamura manipulated the samurai to catch him in mid-air before he fell to the ground. The samurai propped him up against another rock, and then Komamura released the jutsu before it killed him. The samurai straightened up and crumbled up into dust, showering the earth with tiny fragments of rock and earth.

_I… was only able to maintain it… for ten seconds…_

And with that last though, Komamura passed out.

* * *

Hitsugaya watched as the giant samurai crumbled up and turned to face Sasuke, who was staring at him through narrowed eyes. "Well, are you ready?"

Sasuke grinned, raising his sword up slightly.

"Let's do this."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry if Sui-Feng and Ggio's little conversation was a little bit… stupid, lol. I just figured that this was the best way to introduce (as in just tell a little bit about him) Baraggan into my story, so sorry if it was a little bit boring.**

**Also, I apologize if any of you guys were disappointed on Ibiki and Yammy's little "talk." As Ibiki was never shown using his infamous "talking methods" to torture people in the manga or anime, I had no idea how to write it out, and I didn't want to sorta ruin it by making Ibiki seem stupid haha. Also, if you felt as if the last part of the conversation was rushed, it's because it was supposed feel like that, so no worries.**

**Anyways, enough of that. Thank you guys so much for reading my story, and thanks to the three people that followed and favorite my story in the past week or two! I appreciate it a lot, and thanks to everyone who frequently leaves reviews!**

**Also, make sure that you guys go on my profile and vote on my poll (the one about the outcome for Ichigo vs Aizen). So far two choices are tied, and I promise that it won't take long to vote on it, haha. Thanks!**

**IMPORTANT INFORMATION:** **I'm taking over a story for Rocker1600, "Naruto - Shinigami on the Prowl." Please check it out if you want and see if you like it!**


	27. Chapter 27: Fire and Snow

**Information/Changes:**

I'm just reminding everyone that for my story, Naruto and the others are around 18 years old (after the one year time skip).

**Author's Note:**

In case any of you are wondering at the end of this chapter- no, I'm NOT making Hitsugaya and Sasuke rivals in any way. I _do_ think that they're some of the coolest characters in anime though, so basically, this is a battle of the coolest. It's a short battle, but they'll most likely be having a rematch later on in the story.

Keep leaving reviews, and if you like my story, please follow and favorite it! Anyways, enough of all that, and I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter 27: Fire and Snow**

Hitsugaya and Sasuke circled each other, neither one of them taking their eyes off of the other. "Let's see just how strong the Uchiha Clan is!" said Hitsugaya, lunging toward with his sword.

Sasuke easily sidestepped it and slapped Hitsugaya's sword away with the flat of his blade. "I hope that this is all just a joke," said Sasuke, a bored look in his eyes.

He swiftly spun around and whipped his sword at Hitsugaya. Hitsugaya jumped out of the way and responded by executing a couple of hand seals and taking a deep breath. _Suiton: Water Bullet!_

Hitsugaya launched a couple of bullets of water at Sasuke, who simply jumped up into the air, dodging most of them. He cut through the last bullet of water that was speeding towards him and threw his sword at the young prodigy like a kunai, aiming to pierce his skull.

Hitsugaya took his stance and raised his sword to block the blade, but to his utter amazement, Sasuke's blade seemed to pierce _through_ his sword and cut into his stomach. Hitsugaya stood there dumbfounded, his mouth open but no words coming out.

Sasuke closed his eyes. "I'm impressed. You barely look fourteen, and yet you're able to use the Water Clone Jutsu so efficiently. Even I couldn't have done better four years ago."

"I appreciate your compliment," said Hitsugaya from behind him. "I means a lot coming from a member of the most gifted clan in history."

Sasuke swiftly spun around and swung his leg at Hitsugaya who ducked, tripping Sasuke with his feet and stabbing down at him with his sword. Sasuke spat out blood, his eyes wide with shock.

"I won't fall for that trick so easily!" said Hitsugaya as he spun around and swung his sword.

The edge of his blade collided with Sasuke's, and they stayed in that position for a brief moment, each of them glaring at each other. "You're quite skilled at using the blade for someone of your age," said Sasuke, pushing Hitsugaya away with his sword before jumping up into the air.

He bit down on the hilt of his sword and executed an array of hand seals, clasping his hands together and aiming them at the young prodigy. _Raiton: Emotional Wave._

A flow of electricity seemed to flow out of Sasuke's hands and speed towards Hitsugaya. The Hidden Mist Shinobi's eyes widened, and he quickly flipped over on his hands and pushed himself off of the ground before the wave of electricity could make contact with him.

Sasuke studied Hitsugaya as he grabbed his sword with his hand as he landed on the ground. "So I was right," he said calmly. "Your weakness is lightning."

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes and he glared at Sasuke. "Yea, so what? As a Katon and Raiton user, your weaknesses are water and wind, am I correct?"

"You're correct," said Sasuke, his face still as immobile as ever.

_But then, I can't use any Fuuton Jutsu's,_ said Hitsugaya to himself in his head.

"Enough of this," said Sasuke, pointing his sword at Hitsugaya. "It's time to finish this fight."

"You're right," agreed Hitsugaya, raising his sword so that it was right in front of his face. "It's time to finish this."

"What?!"

Hitsugaya's eyes widened in shock as he ducked, barely dodging Sasuke's blade. _He's fast! He was over fifteen feet away from me a second ago, and now he's here! I can't keep up with him at my speed… Has he really been playing around with me this whole entire time?!_

Hitsugaya stabbed forward with his blade and quickly used his Water Clone that he had made a couple of seconds ago to creep up on Sasuke. Sasuke, however, saw this and stabbed the Water Clone without even looking at it, stabbing the ground right after and using his sword as a leverage to jump up into the air. Sasuke quickly spun around and kicked Hitsugaya in the chest, sending him flying backwards.

Hitsugaya landed on his hands and propelled himself off of the ground, executing a couple of hand seals in mid-air. "Suiton: Exploding Water Colloidal Wave Jutsu!"

Sasuke watched in awe as Hitsugaya spat out an enormous wave of water that filled up the giant dent in the area that Komamura had made earlier.

* * *

Ao's eyes widened as he witnessed this great feat. "That Toshiro… To think that he could create a miniature sea so easily… Mizukage-sama, this boy is the future of the Hidden Mist Village- no, the Land of Water… In just two to three years he will be able to surpass you…"

* * *

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he watched a large chunk of the area fill up with water. _This guy… Just how much chakra does he have? I didn't notice it until now, but he's barely fourteen, and yet his chakra supply is greater than mine._

Hitsugaya performed a couple of hand seals and slammed his hands together. "This is the end, Uchiha Sasuke. Suiton: Desolating Tsunami!"

A giant wave over a hundred feet tall rose up from the water, every single drop of water aimed straight at Sasuke. "Let's see if you're fast enough to dodge this," said Hitsugaya as the wave sped towards Sasuke.

Sasuke looked up at the giant wave that was descending down on him, his face still ever so immobile. The corner of Hitsugaya's mouth twitched slightly, a comical look of frustration on his face. _This guy… What a wanna-be-coolie._

Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed, opening his eyes a split second later to reveal a pair of red eyes with the design of overlapping oval eclipses with a three-bladed shuriken in the middle. Hitsugaya's eyes widened as he saw this. _I-Is that-…! It can't be… the Mangekyo Sharingan?!_

Sasuke looked up at Hitsugaya, his eyes suddenly growing wide. "Susanoo!"

A giant rib cage cloaked in purple flames materialized around Sasuke, shielding him from the giant torrent of waves that crashed over him. When the waves receded, Hitsugaya saw Sasuke grinning at him. "Consider yourself lucky that I deemed you worthy enough to use this on," stated Sasuke as the rib cage dematerialized. "Now, tremble in the face of overwhelming power, kid. _This_ is what a battle against an Uchiha is like."

As Sasuke lifted up his hand and reached for Hitsugaya, Susanoo's hand materialized around Sasuke, the hand mimicking the movements of his user. Hitsugaya felt his hand starting to tremble and quickly grabbed his wrist to stop the trembling. _Susanoo… I had only heard stories about it, and yet, here it is- right in front of me. I'm only facing the rib cage of Susanoo, and yet I'm trembling this much…_

Sasuke's closed his right eye and stared intensely at him, a small trickle of blood flowing down from his left eye. _Amaterasu!_

A circle of black flames suddenly appeared on Hitsugaya's shoulder, quickly spreading until it covered his entire body. "AHHH!" screamed Hitsugaya. _****! He must be manipulating the black flames somehow!_

"Get out of that, prodigy," whispered Sasuke, turning around to leave.

In his desperation, Hitsugaya threw himself into the water in an attempt to quench the flames, but the black flames remained just as thirsty as ever. _**** **** **** ****! What do I-… Wait! I can use-… But what if it doesn't work…? ****! I have no choice! If I don't do something soon I'm dead!_

Hitsugaya struggled not to scream out in agony as he executed a couple of hand seals as fast as he could. "Yuton: Gentle Rain!"

Sasuke stopped walking away as he felt something soft touch his cheek. He touched the thing with his finger and felt it melt from of his body heat. _Is this… snow?_

* * *

Ao watched as snow started to fall out of the sky, a look of amazement on his face. "This is Toshiro's Kekkei Genkai- Yuton!"

* * *

Sasuke turned to look at Hitsugaya, and his eyes widened in shock. He opened his mouth slightly to say something, but nothing came out as he stood there, speechless.

Hitsugaya was writhing on the ground in agony, but to Sasuke's amazement, the black flames that were slowly burning him were _receding_. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he studied Hitsugaya. _Impossible… There's no way that Amaterasu could be put out by something as simple as snow! What kind of jutsu is this?_

Sasuke started walking towards the almost unconscious Hitsugaya, unsheathing his sword and holding it out by his side. _He's hard to kill- I'll give him that much._

Just as Sasuke was about to reach him, Gin suddenly appeared behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Sasuke slightly turned his head and looked at him. "Gin…"

"We've finished our mission. We're done here."

… "Got it."

* * *

Sui-Feng pointed her kunai at Ggio's throat. "Let's finish this already."

She suddenly tilted her head, a kunai whizzing by her. "Who is that?" asked Sui-Feng, staring straight ahead with a slightly angry look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let ya kill him just yet," said Gin, who was standing behind her.

Sui-Feng slowly turned around to face him. "Ichimaru Gin. What are you doing here? Have you come to cause trouble as well?"

Gin's seemingly-permanent grin grew even bigger as he walked towards Ggio. "Who, me? No no no, _Sui-Feng-taichou_. I just came here to carry out a little order that Pain-taichou had given me."

Ggio shakily stood up, steadying himself by leaning against a rock. "I-I'm ready," he said, his eyes casted down in shame.

Gin simply looked at him and nodded. "Let's go," he said, producing a roll of cloth from his sleeve.

He threw the roll of cloth up into the air and executed a couple of hand seals. The roll of cloth unrolled and wrapped around Gin and Ggio, spinning faster and faster until they ceased spinning and fell on the ground.

Gin and Ggio were gone.

* * *

Hitsugaya struggled to get up, screaming out in agony as he felt the black flames take its toll on him. There were burns marks all over him, and his skin was bright red from the black flames. Blood dripped down from all over of body, and he fell onto a large puddle of blood on the ground.

"TOSHIRO!"

Ao stopped in front of Hitsugaya, and his eyes widened in shock. "I'm surprised that he's still conscious after being burned by the black flames for this long… Amaterasu… it's truly one of the most powerful Ninjutsu's in existence. If it wasn't for his Kekkei Genkai, he would be dead."

Hitsugaya struggled to keep his eyes open, but they soon closed shut.

_Dammit…_

* * *

(The Six Paths of Pain's Tower)

"Well, how did it go?"

"The mission was a success, but we lost Poww."

Aizen looked up from the scroll that he was bent over and looked at Ggio. "What a shame. Ggio, why don't you go and rest up? And as for you…"

Aizen's eyes trailed over to Yammy, who was barely able to stand up. Aizen's eyes quickly took in the worst of Yammy's injuries. _Morino Ibiki, huh? I should've expected this._ "Forgive me, Yammy. It was my carelessness which caused all of this. I should have foreseen this. Gin, please take Yammy over to Orihime's room and ask her to heal him."

Gin nodded and grabbed Yammy by the arm. "Let's go, _Yammy-san_," said Gin in a singsong voice as he basically dragged him across the room.

"Be sure to get plenty of rest as well," said Aizen loudly so that his voice would reach them.

* * *

(The Akatsuki's Hideout)

"Tobi."

Madara turned around and faced Zetsu. "Is he here?"

"Yea, but he's sort of in a bad mood if you know what I mean," stated Zetsu.

"No matter. Send him in."

Zetsu nodded and "walked" towards the door of the room. He opened it slightly and stuck his head out the door. "Come innn!" sang White Zetsu.

"YOU KNOW THAT I CAN'T ****** WALK YOU STUPID PIECE OF ****!"

White Zetsu laughed out loud, enjoying the moment while he could. "Just bring him in," sighed Madara.

White Zetsu frowned. "Alright alright…"

Zetsu went outside and came back in a few seconds later carrying… the head and the body of the Hidan. "YOU ****** PIECE OF ****! CARRY ME _CAREFULLY_! THIS ISN'T JUST SOME ****** BOOBOO! I GOT _BLOWN UP_ YOU STUPID PLANT! DON'T JUST ****** CARRY ME LIKE I'M A ****** DEAD DOG OR SOMETHING!"

Zetsu threw Hidan's head and body on the floor. "Shut the hell up," said Black Zetsu, already pissed off by Hidan's rude attitude. "Just be lucky that you're even alive!"

Hidan comically scowled at Zetsu. "JUST BE LUCKY THAT I'M EVEN-?! OH, I SEE WHAT'S UP YOU STUPID ****** PIECE OF ****! I GET BLOWN UP AND SURVIVE OFF OF ****** _BUGS AND DIRT_, AND YOU TELL ME TO-?!"

"Enough already!" said Madara, an annoyed tone in his voice. "I didn't bring you here to argue with Zetsu. Now, just stay put while Kakuzu gets here. After he stitches you back up, you two will be going on a mission."

Hidan looked at Madara curiously. "Oh, so Kakuzu managed to kill the stupid Konoha pieces of **** after all?"

"No," said Madara. "Kakuzu was defeated by the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, Uzumaki Naruto. Kakuzu was reanimated by Edo Tensei."

Hidan laughed out loud. "HAHAHAHA! THAT STUPID PIECE OF ****! THAT'S WHAT HE GETS FOR ****** YELLING AT ME ALL THE TIME AND DOING THOSE STUPID SIDE JOBS DURING OUT MISSIONS! HAHAHAHA!"

Madara turned around and took off his mask, pinching the bridge of his nose to stop himself from lashing out against Hidan. _This is going to be very annoying… Maybe I should've left him in the hole after all..._


	28. Chapter 28: Mission and Failure

Important message at the end! Please read! Anyways, I hope that you guys are all having a good week, and enjoy!

**Chapter 28: Mission and Failure**

"MOVE MOVE MOVE! GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

"Just hang in there Toshiro!"

"Ao…"

Ao and the medical-nin's pushed through the people in the hospital as they rushed to the emergency room. "We're almost there!" said Ao, trying to push the frantic tone down his throat. _Dammit! This is really bad! I didn't know that Amaterasu could cause this much damage in such a short time! We're just lucky that his Yuton Jutsu was able to put out the black flames!_

"Are we there yet?!" asked Ao, unable to keep the frantic tone out of his voice any longer. "If we don't get him some medical attention soon, then-!"

"Here we are! Excuse us please!"

Hitsugaya felt himself slowly losing consciousness. _I-I'm still too weak… Dammit…_

* * *

(The Hidden Stone Village: The Interrogation Room)

"Dammit!"

Ibiki kicked the table in frustration, knocking it over. "This is all my fault… I'm sorry, everyone," he whispered, staring down at the strewn out bodies of his fallen comrades. "I shouldn't have left the prisoner alone with you guys… I never expected for them to have launched a fake attack in order to take back a single prisoner… This is my fault… I'm so sorry…"

"Ibiki?"

Ibiki turned around to see the Tsuchikage behind him. "Oh, Tsuchikage-sama. What is it?"

"Don't blame yourself. None of us expected for this to happen."

"Thank you, Tsuchikage-sama," said Ibiki, bowing his head in gratitude. "But still… fifteen dead… not a single one left alive…"

"Pain… unforgivable…" whispered the Tsuchikage through clenched teeth.

* * *

(The Six Paths of Pain's Tower)

"Come in."

Aizen opened the door and stepped into Pain's spacious room. It was a hundred feet long and fifty feet wide, and it was supported by ten pillars. Pain was holding a white orb on the tip of his finger- _a cero_, thought Aizen, and Konan was sitting on the edge of the balcony of the room with her legs crossed, staring outside at the night sky.

"Well, what is it?" asked Pain, turning his head to look at Aizen. He snapped his fingers, dissipating the cero.

"We have successfully retrieved Yammy as you have ordered," said Aizen, his hands clasped behind his back.

Pain turned to face the wall and pressed his hand against the smooth marble surface of the wall. The surface of the wall vibrated and rippled as if it was made out of water, and a small hole opened up in the wall, getting bigger until it was a giant arch that revealed the room on the other side of the wall. Pain walked through the arch and walked over to six pods that were attached to the wall. Inside each of the pods was a figure or a shape of some sort that was hidden by the shadows.

"What are these bodies doing here?" asked Aizen, a curious look on his face.

Pain glanced at Aizen from the corner of his eyes. "These bodies are the key to using the Six Paths of Pain."

Aizen glanced over the bodies. "Ah, it was the jutsu that your sensei used, was it not?"

Pain nodded. "The activation of chakra in a body that can no longer produce or manipulate any chakra."

"I thought that the jutsu was only usable through the Rinnegan," said Aizen.

"My Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan possesses many of the abilities that the Rinnegan has," stated Pain. "The eldest son of the Rikudou Sennin was the first one to awaken the Sharingan; he possessed the perfect Sharingan. I was also able to awaken these eyes, and with these eyes, I possess every single ability that the eldest son possessed."

Aizen stared at Pain, his face unreadable. "So you are able to use the Six Paths of Pain?"

Pain shook his head. "No. The maximum number of… _bodies_ that I'm able to manipulate and control is three."

"Well, it's not all-."

"Pain."

Pain and Aizen turned around to see Konan standing underneath the makeshift doorway, her hand resting against the arch. "What is it, Konan?" asked Pain.

"We need to talk," said Konan softly.

Pain sighed and slowly walked towards the arch, motioning for Aizen to do the same. Once everyone was out of the room, Pain raised his hands and snapped his fingers. The arch rippled once more and closed shut.

"Aizen, we'll talk later," said Pain.

Aizen bowed his head in respect before leaving the room.

* * *

(Outside of Konoha)

THUD! Kakashi walked over to Ichigo, who was on the ground in exhaustion. "I think that you've got it down now, Ichigo-san," said Kakashi.

Ichigo looked up at Kakashi and grinned. "I'm awesome, huh? And all it took was a thousand Shadow Clones and a day of practice, heh."

Kakashi reached out his hand and helped Ichigo up. "You've gotten two B-Rank jutsu's down," said Kakashi. "Now that you've gotten down Katon: Imperial Flames and Fuuton: Air Release, it's time to learn and master the final jutsu- Raiton: Lightning Charge."

Ichigo stared at the ground. "Let's go."

Kakashi's eyes slightly widened. "Well, I didn't mean right now, Ichigo-san. You're too-."

"No, I'll do it now," said Ichigo firmly. "I don't have any time to waste. It's already been a few weeks; I should've been finished creating my Kekkei Touta by now."

"There are people who are suited to different areas in combat," stated Kakashi. "Your type is more suited for Taijutsu. With your Hierro, you can use your Taijutsu skills to its fullest potential. Anyways, be proud that you've managed to get this far in just a couple of weeks."

"Whatever," said Ichigo, shrugging his shoulders. "Let's just get this over with."

"Alright," said Kakashi, clasping his hands together. "Now, Raiton: Lightning Charge is a mid-range B-Rank jutsu."

"Now watch carefully," said Kakashi as he lifted up his hands. _Tori Ino Mi Ino Tatsu Hitsuji Saru Ne Hitsuji Mi._

Kakashi clasped his hands together and pointed it straight at the mud wall that was lying ten feet away from him. "Raiton: Lightning Charge!"

A giant sphere of lightning generated around Kakashi's hand, the sphere growing bigger by the second. A second later, four streaks of lightning sped out from Kakashi's hand and smashed the mud wall, completely obliterating it as well as a small portion of area around it. Kakashi and Ichigo slightly winced as the sound of electricity filled the air.

Kakashi turned to Ichigo. "So for this jutsu, just focus on pouring your chakra _through_ your arms and into your hand. Then when you release it, just picture your chakra shooting out of your hand like kunai's."

Ichigo nodded. "I got it."

He turned to face the multiple mud walls that were in front of him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _Tori Ino Mi Ino Tatsu Hitsuji Saru Ne Hitsuji Mi._

"Raiton: Lightning Charge!"

* * *

(The Six Paths of Pain's Tower)

"Naruto-sama."

Naruto turned from his spot on the balcony and saw Juggler standing in the doorway. "Juggler… What is it?"

Juggler stepped into Naruto's room, a fancy but almost empty spacious white room that had only a bed, a desk, a table, and some chairs along with a tall white lamp which sat beside the bed. "I heard that you encountered your… old comrades."

Naruto turned his head back to face the night sky. "Yea… my old comrades…"

"And how did it go?" asked Juggler.

"Heh… They haven't changed a bit… Especially Sakura…"

"So what are you going to do now?"

Naruto stared out into the night sky, his face completely unreadable from behind his mask. He shrugged slightly as if he didn't care much for Juggler's question. "Who knows?"

Juggler decided to take a chance and ask another question. "And what should happen if Pain-sama asked you to…?"

"Kill them?"

Juggler avoided Naruto's eyes when he turned around to face him even though he could barely make them out from behind his mask. "Yes."

"Then I kill them," answered Naruto plainly, turning back to stare out into the night. "That's all there is to it."

* * *

(Inside of Naruto's Mind)

The Kyuubi opened his eyes as he woke up from his nap, his chin resting against his folded up arms. _Heh… That Naruto's changed a lot in just a year… I think that I might actually like him._

* * *

(The Akatsuki's Hideout)

Kakuzu knocked on the door, an annoyed look on his face. _I come back from the dead, and I __**still**__ get stuck with that annoying piece of ****… I hate being undead…_

"Come in," said Madara from behind the door.

Kakuzu sighed and opened the door, walking into the room. "OY, KAKUZU!" said Hidan, a huge grin on his face. "DID YOU MISS ME, KAKUZU?"

Kakuzu looked at Madara with a look that seemed to say, _are you freaking kidding me?_

Madara closed his eyes and sighed. "Just do it," he said impatiently. "I've already been dealing with a lot today; don't make this any harder than it has to be."

Kakuzu nodded and walked up to Hidan's head, grabbing him by the hair and placing his head on his limp body. He positioned the head right and cocked back his wrist.

A long gray thread emerged from Kakuzu's sleeves, burying itself in Hidan's collarbone area and coming out of his neck. Kakuzu repeated this process until Hidan's neck was completely reattached to his body. "There," said Kakuzu. "It's finished."

Madara nodded. "Good."

He turned to look at Hidan's partly-armless body which also had a large chunk of his side missing. "Why don't you come with me," he said, turning around and walking towards the door. "Let's get you some… _replacements_ for the missing chunks of your body."

* * *

(The Hidden Stone Village)

Sui-Feng pushed away an Iryo-nin that was trying to tend to her wounds. "It's just a couple of scratches; I'm not one of your weak Genins you know!"

The Iryo-nin bowed as he slowly backed away. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Sui-Feng turned to Komamura, who was sitting next to her. "How are you doing?"

Komamura snorted. "This is nothing; that large Arrancar just caught me by surprise, that's all."

The Tsuchikage walked into the room just as Komamura finished his sentence. "Komamura," said the Tsuchikage. "How are you holding up?"

Komamura straightened up, wincing at a sharp pain in his chest. "Tsuchikage-sama."

"Relax," said the Tsuchikage. "You used Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō too recklessly, Komamura. If it wasn't for your large chakra reserves, you would be dead right now."

Komamura slightly grinned. "Yea… I know…"

"You need to practice your control over your jutsu. After you recuperate from your injuries, I want you to dedicate your time and effort into mastering the jutsu, understand?"

Komamura opened his mouth to argue, but the Tsuchikage raised his hand, silencing him. "This isn't a suggestion, Komamura. This is an order."

Komamura bowed his head. "Understood."

* * *

(The Five Kage Summit)

Four figures in black cloaks walked past a bunch of bodies that was strewn all over the area. The lead figure threw away the bloodied sword that was in his hand, stepping over a dead body as he walked towards the meeting room.

The four figures quickly dispatched the samurai's that were guarding the room and walked up to a large eight by ten rectangular "box" that seemed to be cloaked in light.

"Is this it?" asked the second figure.

The lead figure- Itachi, nodded, pressing his hand against the surface of the sealing jutsu. "This is it. Pain. Deidara. New guy. Get into position."

Nagato, Deidara, and the new guy, who was in fact Kimimaro, surrounded the sealed Kabuto and sat down on the floor cross-legged. Itachi quickly executed an array of hand seals and slammed his hands together. The other three did the same, and Itachi closed his eyes, opening them a second later to reveal his Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Let's begin."

* * *

**Important Announcement:**

**Hey everyone- I have a big announcement to make! In a couple of months, I'm going to be writing a new story (a NarutoxBleach crossover story) that's _sort of_ like a sequel to this story, but at the same time, it's sort of not. The story's going to be taking place in Soul Society and Karakura Town, and it'll sort of be based off of this story.**

**Anyways, there's a new poll on my profile about whether I should add Sasuke to my new story or not, so make sure that you guys vote on it! Thanks!**


	29. Chapter 29: Lost Bonds

**Chapter 29: Lost Bonds**

(Konoha's War Room)

_Three days after the Arrancar's attack…_

Tsunade grabbed her wrist with her left hand, struggling not to punch the table out of anger. She narrowed her eyes as she glared at the table, biting her bottom lip until a drop of blood fell on the table. _Dammit…_

Sakura had explained what had gone on in the Hidden Rain Village- Takun's death, her fight with Yammy, and Sui-Feng, Temari, Kankuro, and her encounter with Naruto.

Gaara closed his eyes, two lines of tears sliding down his face. _Naruto… You're the one that saved me from the darkness that once clouded my heart… Just what happened to you, Naruto?_

The Raikage growled as he slammed his fist on the table, causing it to tremble slightly. "That gaki… I always knew that he was bad news…"

The Tsuchikage smirked. "A Jinchuuriki gone bad… How surprising…"

The Mizukage remained silent, not willing to side with either one of the Kages. The Raikage cracked his knuckles as he looked at Tsunade. "Well, that's it, then. It seems that your precious Jinchuuriki really did betray us. The only option that we have now is to kill him before the Akatsuki gets their hands on him."

Tsunade got up from her seat, her eyes flaring. "NARUTO WOULD NEVER BETRAY US! HE'S THE LAST PERSON THAT WOULD DO THAT, AND EVERYONE THAT KNOWS NARUTO KNOWS THIS!"

The Raikage leaned back against his chair and closed his eyes, crossing his arms as he sighed deeply. "Anyone can change, Hokage."

Tsunade shook her head. "Not him. Not Naruto. Not now, and not ever."

The Raikage opened his eyes and looked at Tsunade. "Are you sure about that? He attacked his former comrades, and he was even willing to kill his childhood friend."

He looked at Sakura as he said this, and she bowed her head, a sad look in her eyes.

Tsunade sat down on her chair, crossing her arms as she glared at the Raikage. "Let me just make this very clear, Raikage. Naruto would never-."

"Never?" The Raikage narrowed his eyes. "From the way the pink-haired girl described it, it sounded as if Naruto had gone over to Pain's side _willingly_. Just admit it, Hokage. That Uzumaki Naruto is just a cowardly traitor that-."

Gaara opened his eyes. "No."

The Raikage looked at Gaara. "What?"

"No," repeated Gaara, getting up from his seat. He looked at everyone in the room. "Naruto is the most strong-willed person that I've ever known… and ever will know. I was once a Jinchuuriki, and my heart was once clouded by an overwhelming desire to kill every single human being and any other living creature on the planet. No one was foolish enough to approach me, and almost no one was able to match my power. Uzumaki Naruto, however, was the only one that understood me. He understood my loneliness because he went through the exact same thing himself; the only difference was that he was able to overcome this with the help of his friends. He was the only one that ever showed me love, and he was the only one that was even willing to help me. It was because of his undying determination and love for his friends and comrades that he was able to save me from who I once was. He might have gone to the other side, but I know in my heart that he would never betray his beloved village even if he was forced to with a sword at his throat."

"I agree with Gaara," said Tsunade, getting up from her seat as well. "Naruto was the one who brought my dying Will of Fire back to life, and he was the reason I took on the title of the Fifth Hokage."

Sakura nodded. "Naruto would never betray his village."

Kakashi stood up and nodded. "I agree."

"I agree as well," said Shikamaru.

Temari and Kankuro stood up and looked at Sakura and the other ninjas from Konoha. "We agree as well," said Temari.

Sakura smiled as tears fell from her eyes. _Thank you, Tsunade-sama. Thank you, Gaara. Thank you, Kakashi-sensei. Thank you, Shikamaru, and thank you, Temari and Kankuro-san._

The Raikage closed his eyes and nodded, a defeated smile appearing on his face. _Uzumaki Naruto… It seems that you still have the love and support of your friends and comrades… I just hope that they'll be able to help you…_

* * *

(The Six Paths of Pain's Tower)

Pain walked down the stairs and into the main room which was completely empty save Aizen, Gin, and Tosen. Naruto was in his room, and Sasuke was out on a small mission that Pain had sent him on.

"Hey _Pain-taichou_," said Gin.

Pain sat down on his throne, sighing as he sank deep into the seat. Aizen and the others approached him. "Where are the Espadas?" asked Tosen. "I haven't seen them since yesterday except for Starrk, but he was just sleeping in his favorite spot like always. I hope that they're preparing for any attack that the Allied Shinobi Forces might launch. We can't afford to slack off at such a critical moment."

"Now now, _Tosen-san_," said Gin as he put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure that they're doin' just that. Ya know that tha Espadas would never disobey our dear old Pain-taichou."

Tosen shrugged Gin's hand off of his shoulder. "You should be more alert, Gin. You've always been too relaxed- even back at the Hidden Stone Village."

Gin drew back in an almost lazy way. "Ouch," he said, his usual creepy grin turning into a fake frown.

Pain got up from his throne and stretch out his arms. "I gave them the day off," he said as he cracked his neck. "I suppose that they're… _redecorating_ their new individual homes."

Gin grinned at Pain. "Still? They sure do have weird tastes."

Pain grinned as well from behind his mask. "They're interesting alright. They've each redecorated their individual homes to fir their personalities… Well, most of them anyways."

Tosen frowned at this. "While we're on this subject, did you really have to grant him his request for a _castle_, Pain-sama?"

Aizen looked up at the ceiling. "Don't forget who he was before all of this, Kaname. You of all people should know what I'm talking about. It's only fitting that he should have a castle to assert his authority in."

Pain sighed and walked down the steps. "Well, I'm off to take care of some business," said Pain. "Aizen, take care of things here."

"Understood," said Aizen, bowing as Pain walked past him and towards the door.

* * *

(The Akatsuki's Hideout)

"Tobi."

Madara turned around to see Zetsu rising up from the ground. "Zetsu," he said, turning back around and resuming his work. "What is it?"

"Deidara's missing," said Black Zetsu.

"Is he?" said Madara, not taking his eyes off of his work.

"I wonder where he went?" sang White Zetsu in his usual mocking and singsong voice.

Madara put down the scalpel that he had in his hand and looked up at the ceiling. "Approximately three days ago, Deidara, along with Itachi, Nagato, and Kimimaro, left the hideout in order to head over to the Five Kage Summit."

"Why?" asked White Zetsu.

Madara turned around to face Zetsu. "Kabuto was weak. The Five Kage's managed to defeat him, and in order to ensure their victory, they sealed him away with a very advanced sealing jutsu. They probably suspected that I'd try to use Edo Tensei on him… Heh… Well, they weren't wrong…"

"Are you really ok with freeing Orochimaru's pet?" asked Black Zetsu. "I thought that you didn't want him snooping around everywhere."

"Kabuto is no threat to me," said Madara. "No one can defeat Uchiha Madara."

"But what about _him_?"

"No matter," said Madara and he turned around and walked towards the door. He opened it and walked out, continuing to speak ventured down the dark and empty hallway of the hideout. "Kabuto still has an army that I need in order to counter the Allied Shinobi Forces. His usefulness will run out after we win the war; we'll dispose of him then."

* * *

(Konoha's War Room)

"So what do we do about the woman's kidnapping?" asked Byakuya. "We've put this task off for long enough. I said that we should have completely obliterated the village, and I was right. We send a team of inexperienced Chunin's with a Takun, and look where that's gotten us. One of my closest friends is dead, and all we managed to do was capture the weakest Espada, and to what? Lose him?"

The Raikage closed his eyes as he listened to Byakuya talk. After he finished talking, the Raikage opened his eyes. "You're absolutely right, Byakuya" he said. "I-, no, _we_ should have listened to you a long time ago. All this whole thing did was cost us lives; it's time to act and wipe out Pain once and for all."

Sakura bowed her head in shame at this. _Takun-taichou… Naruto…_

"So what's the plan then?" asked Kakashi.

"Byakuya, what do you think?" asked the Raikage, looking over at him.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. _What does that stubborn-headed fool think he's doing, going off and doing things without our consent?_

Byakuya closed his eyes and remained silent for a brief second. "If the other Kage's approve of my idea- Tsunade nodded at this- then I propose sending a team solely made up of members from the Twelve Ninja Guardians over to the Hidden Rain Village to rescue the woman without fail."

The Raikage looked over at the other four Kages for their approval. "I think that Byakuya's idea is a good one," he said. "What do the rest of you say?"

"It's a fine plan," the Tsuchikage agreed.

"If no one else has any objections, then I will agree to it as well," said the Mizukage.

Gaara nodded. "Alright then," he said. He looked over at Tsunade. "What about you, Hokage?"

Tsunade closed her eyes and sighed, resting her chin against her folded hands. "Very well then," she said. "Do as you wish."

"Then it's settled," said Byakuya.

* * *

(The Five Kage Summit)

Itachi, Nagato, Deidara, and Kimimaro all sat around the sealed Kabuto with their eyes closed, focusing on maintaining their jutsu. It had been three days since they had arrived, and no one had said a word since they had started the jutsu.

Kimimaro was the first one to talk. "So, does anyone know what this is all about?"

Itachi opened his eyes. "Isn't it obvious?"

"That wasn't what I meant," said Kimimaro. "It's quite obvious that Kabuto is using us to free himself from this seal, but what I wanted to know was _how_?"

Itachi sighed. "The Edo Tensei is a mysterious jutsu. It's quite possible-, no, in fact, Kabuto _had_ to have programmed us to come here and free him from this seal before he was sealed by the Five Kages."

Kimimaro looked down at the ground. "I see."

"Never mind that," said Nagato. "Let's just concentrate on finding a loophole in this Edo Tensei Jutsu while maintaining this jutsu."

Deidara scoffed. "Wouldn't that be the day?"

Itachi looked at him. "It's highly unlikely, but it's not impossible. Every jutsu has a weakness; all we need to do is find this jutsu's weakness."

"I'm pretty sure that if there was such a thing as a weakness in this jutsu, Kabuto would've figured it out," scoffed Deidara. "You idiots!"

Itachi narrowed his eyes as he stared at Deidara. Deidara suddenly seemed to relax and calm down, closing his eyes and focusing on maintaining the jutsu once again.

Kimimaro looked at Itachi. "You're Uchiha Itachi, am I correct? The one whose body that Orochimaru-sama tried to take over a long time ago."

Itachi looked at him. "Yes, I am."

Kimimaro turned his head back to face the sealed Kabuto and closed his eyes.

* * *

(Outside of Konoha)

"I think that you've finally got it, Ichigo-san."

"Heh…" Ichigo looked down at his hands. "Second step completed."

Kakashi nodded. "Now… Let's work on creating your Kekkei Touta."

Ichigo looked confused. "Creating my Kekkei Touta…? What do you mean, creating?"

As Kakashi opened his mouth to speak, Byakuya suddenly appeared beside him. He walked up to Ichigo and tapped the hilt of his sword that was strapped to his side. "I believe that I can answer your question, Kurosaki Ichigo."

* * *

**A short chapter, yes, but a meaningful one nonetheless. This is basically the chapter that takes us into the "Gotei Thirteen vs the Espadas" Arc, so I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter at least a little!**

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:**

**I will be releasing my new story, "Changing History, Unchanging Heart" in a day or two, so I would really appreciate any support on that. It's going to be a big story, and I even got some help from Rocker1600 so that it could be better. Better format, better writing style, and a better storyline.**


	30. Chapter 30: Hidan and Kakuzu's Mission

**Chapter 30: Hidan and Kakuzu's Mission**

(Near the Hidden Leaf Village)

"Come on, you slowpoke! Let's get a move on already!"

… "We just left the hideout fifteen minutes ago, and you're already pissing me off."

Hidan turned around and smirked at his partner. "Yea, so what? I've been stuck in that piece of **** hole for over a year. Now that I'm out, I'll do whatever the **** I want!"

Kakuzu glared at him. _I'll kill him…_

"I know what you're thinking," said Hidan, turning back around. "In case being dead ****** up your brain, I'll remind you that I'm immortal. You can't kill me, Kakuzu."

Kakuzu simply growled. "I may not be able to kill you, but I can still rip your head off of your body. Remember that."

Hidan gripped the handle of his three-bladed scythe. "Just try it, Kakuzu! Anyways, where are we going?"

"You don't need to know that," answered Kakuzu, earning a glare from hot-headed partner.

As Hidan pulled out his scythe and started cutting up some trees for fun, Kakuzu thought back to when he had received the mission from Madara.

* * *

(Flashback: The Akatsuki's Hideout)

Madara put down the scroll that he was reading and looked at Kakuzu. "I have a little mission for you and Hidan. I apologize for the short notice concerning his retrieval, but I thought that it would be best if you went with someone that you're used to working with."

…

"Anyways, here's your mission," said Madara as he handed Kakuzu the scroll. Kakuzu took the scroll and opened it up, reading its contents.

"There's a place located north of the Hidden Meadow Village here in the Land of Fire," explained Madara. "It's an abandoned hideout that used to belong to Orochimaru, but ever since his death, it's been pretty quiet."

Kakuzu looked up at him. "So why send us there?"

Madara looked up at the ceiling for a brief second before answering. "It's a test site where Orochimaru used to conduct various experiments involving… Bijuu's."

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes. "But we took the Sanbi after he and Konoha failed to capture it."

Madara shook his head. "I didn't mean the actual Bijuu's themselves, but their… how should I put it? Their… well, basically just parts of them."

"Parts?"

"Like a piece of their horn, claw, or anything else. I'm not exactly sure what, but I want you and Hidan to go over there and find out for sure. We might be able to use some of Orochimaru's experiments to our advantage during the war."

Kakuzu nodded. "Understood."

As he turned around to leave, Madara called out to him. "Oh, and Kakuzu?"

Kakuzu stopped and looked back. "What is it?"

"Try not to kill Hidan," said Madara. "He might be useful once the war starts."

Kakuzu stood still for a brief moment before turning around and walking away.

"No promises."

(End of Flashback)

* * *

(Around Fifty Miles from the Hidden Meadow Village)

Hidan cut up yet another tree and sighed loudly. "Oy, Kakuzu! I'm sooo bored!" he whined as he walked up to his fuming partner. "When are we going to stop to take a break? We've been walking for the last ****** ten hours or so! How the **** aren't you tired at all?"

"Being dead has its benefits," answered Kakuzu plainly.

Hidan scoffed and stopped as he stopped an inn around a hundred feet away from where the two were at. "Oy, Kakuzu!" he said. "There's an inn just up ahead! Let's stay there for night, ok? It's ****** dark, and I'm ****** tired!"

… "It's only around seven, you moron."

Although Kakuzu would never admit it, he was sort of glad that Hidan had spotted the inn. He was getting restless, and although he wasn't tired at all, he felt that if he had to listen to Hidan whine for another hour or so, he was going to explode and kill every living and non-living thing that he could get his hands on.

"We might as well," said Kakuzu. "If it'll shut you up that is."

Hidan grinned enthusiastically. "See, Kakuzu? You _do_ care about me! HAHA! I KNEW IT! I KNEW THAT YOU MISSED ME!"

Kakuzu muttered a string of curses under his breath which Hidan missed. _That annoying piece of crap… As if…_

Hidan prodded Kakuzu with the handle of his scythe. "Hey, Kakuzu. Hey. Hey. Hey."

Kakuzu swore out loud and lashed out at his partner, his fist turning jet-black. Hidan grabbed his scythe with both of his hands and brought it up, blocking the punch. He grinned as Kakuzu glared at him. "Just like old times, huh?"

Kakuzu drew back his fist and started walking towards the inn, ignoring him. Hidan trotted off after him, an annoyed look on his face. "Hey, you piece of ****, don't ignore me when I'm-!"

THUD! Kakuzu suddenly turned around and lashed out with his leg, sending Hidan crashing into a couple of trees. He turned back around and resumed walking towards the inn, leaving his partner lying on the ground, surrounded by a bunch of fallen trees.

"What an idiot."

* * *

Kakuzu lay back on his bed, glancing over the scroll that Madara had given him. He glanced up from his reading as he heard someone knocking on the door. "Hidan, answer it," he said, resuming his reading.

Hidan swore under his breath and got up from polishing his scythe, walking over to the door and opening it. A teenage girl stood in front of the door, and she bowed as she saw Hidan. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but…"

Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of the stitched on Hidan's neck. "Well, what the **** do you want?" asked Hidan, an annoyed tone in his voice.

The girl's eyes widened at the sound of Hidan's voice, and she shook her head and bowed again. "M-My apologizes! Um… I h-have your d-dinner here, s-sir!"

Hidan grabbed the cart that was in front of her and rolled it into the room. "Thanks. Now get the **** out of here," he said as he slammed the door in her face.

"You should be more polite to the people that work here you moron," said Kakuzu as he glanced over at Hidan who was busy stuffing his face with rice, crab meat, and a couple other varieties of dishes.

"Shu the **** uerp, Krawkuzu," said Hidan with a mouthful of food.

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes as he glared at his partner. Hidan swallowed his food and blinked. "What? Anyways, aren't you eating, Kakuzu?"

Kakuzu looked at the messy and mostly empty dishes in front of Hidan and returned to reading. "I'm dead."

Hidan laughed out loud. "Oh yea, I forgot! HAHAHAHA!"

Kakuzu sighed. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," laughed Hidan as he finished off what was left in front of him. "It's just funny, that's all."

Kakuzu rolled up the scroll and jumped off of his bed. Hidan crawled backwards as Kakuzu walked towards him, looking back as he bumped into a wall. "W-What are you d-doing, K-Kakuzu?"

Kakuzu stopped in front of him and looked down at him. "Clean up your mess and go to sleep. We leave at dawn."

* * *

Hidan and Kakuzu left the inn at dawn, Kakuzu leaving the money for the bill on his bed. Hidan yawned and stretched out his arms. "Man, I'm so ****** tired," he griped, rubbing his eyes. "Oy, Kakuzu. Are we there yet?"

Kakuzu struggled not to lash out against his partner as he answered Hidan as calmly as he could. "We still have around fifty miles to go, so stop complaining."

Hidan spit on the ground, a pissed off look on his face. "FIFTY MILES? ARE YOU ****** KIDDING ME?! GEEZ! That's total bull****, Kakuzu! Can't you just like magically teleport us there or something?"

Kakuzu stopped, struggling not to rip his partner up into pieces. "Can I magically-? Are you-?"

He took a deep breath and walked over to a large rock, punching it as hard as he could. The large rock instantly exploded into thousands of little pieces. Kakuzu turned back to Hidan and glared at him, his eyes full of venom. "If you say anything like that again, I _will_ kill you."

Hidan sighed as Kakuzu turned around and resumed walking. "Sheesh, what a letdown… And here I was hoping for a fight."

He scoffed and followed Kakuzu. "There better be some ******* that I can let loose on over wherever we're going."

* * *

Approximetly five hours later, Kakuzu stopped in front of a tea house, looking at the sign next to him. _Ibishi's Tea House! Come and enjoy fresh tea and dumplings!_

Hidan stopped next to him and looked up at the tea house. "What the **** are we doing here?"

Kakuzu ignored him and walked into the tea house, leaving a confused Hidan standing next to the sign all by himself.

"Oy, Kakuzu, wait up!" yelled Hidan, running after him.

"Hurry it up already," said Kakuzu, glancing at Hidan out of the corner of his eyes before entering the tea house. "I don't want to lose this target."

Hidan scratched his head as they entered the tea house. "Target? What kind of target could you find in a-? OY! WAIT A SECOND! THIS ISN'T ONE OF YOUR STUPID MONEY SIDE JOBS, IS IT?!"

Kakuzu glared at him, silencing him. "Shut up you moron. The target is Han Ibixi, a well-known informant in the criminal world. He could give us some information regarding Orochimaru's hideout."

Hidan looked confused. "Orochimaru's what?"

Kakuzu looked around and saw a skinny man with spiky black hair leaned back against a chair, surrounded by his thugs and a couple or girls. "There he is."

Hidan pointed at the Ibixi. "Him? That's our ****** target?"

Ibixi saw Hidan pointing at him and narrowed his eyes. "Hey, who do you think you're pointing at? Are you looking for a-?"

He stopped talking as his fell on Hidan and Kakuzu's cloak. "Y-You guys… A-Are you guys the A-Akatsuki?"

Hidan grinned at him. "Yea we are you piece of ****!"

Kakuzu walked up to Ibixi and looked down at him. "You're coming with us," he said, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.

Ibixi's thugs stood up and surrounded Kakuzu. The girls quickly grabbed the money that was lying on the table and ran off to another table, flirting with the men that were there. "Hey, you don't wanna do that, mister," said one of the thugs, putting his hand of Kakuzu's shoulder.

THUD! The thug went flying through the wall, groaning before blacking out. Kakuzu glared at the other thugs, and they all scattered.

Hidan laughed out loud. "HAHAHAHA! What a bunch of *******!"

"W-What do you guys w-want with m-me?" asked Ibixi as Kakuzu dragged him outside.

Kakuzu threw him on the ground, and he scrambled backwards as Hidan and Kakuzu towered over him. "Don't worry," said Kakuzu in a feeble attempt to calm him down. "We just want some information regarding one of Orochimaru's hideouts in the Hidden Meadow Village."

Ibixi's eyes widened when he heard the name of the village. "I-, I don't know a-anything," he stuttered, avoiding Kakuzu's eyes.

Kakuzu nodded and looked at Hidan. "Oy, stand up," said Hidan, brandishing his scythe.

Ibixi stared at the scythe nervously. "W-What are you g-gonna do with that?"

Hidan looked at him as if he were an idiot. "I'm gonna ****** cut you up into little pieces obviously. Are you ****** retarded?"

"W-WAIT!"

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes. "What is it? If you're going to tell us what we want to know, I'd do it quickly. Otherwise, Hidan will kill you."

Ibixi nodded. "O-Ok. I'll tell you guys what you wanna know."

Hidan sighed in exasperation and withdrew his scythe from Ibixi's throat. "****!"

"Now, tell us everything," said Kakuzu.

Ibixi closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. "The hideout is located north of the Hidden Meadow Village. All you need to do to get there is keep going north until you get to a narrow trail that leads into the forest. The forest is full of bandits and thugs, but they're not ninjas, so you guys shouldn't have any problems with them. Once you get out of the forest, you'll see a large mountain with a small horn-shaped design towards the very bottom of it. All you need to do is find a small pebble-shaped rock and flip it over. There should be a circular rock-shaped button under it. All you need to do is press it, and it'll reveal a passageway that leads down to the hideout."

"You're pretty well-informed. How do you know all of this?"

Ibixi shrugged. "I do a lot of spying," he said bluntly. "I even managed to get a man inside of the hideout."

Kakuzu raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

Ibixi looked down, almost seeming embarrassed. "Well, I _did_, but then Orochimaru must have found out, because the next thing I know, I heard that Orochimaru had used his as an experiment."

Kakuzu nodded. "Go on."

Ibixi looked around before answering even though there was no one around the area. He leaned forward, dropping his voice to a whisper. "Ever since Orochimaru's death, the hideout had been pretty quiet, but there are rumors that one of Orochimaru's top men still conducts experiments there. Oh, and I heard that this person's pretty strong; in fact, he or she used to be in charge of all of Orochimaru's hideouts… that is, until that Yakushi Kabuto appeared."

Kakuzu looked Hidan and nodded. "We're done here," he said, turning back to look at Ibixi. "As agreed, you're free to go."

Ibixi scrambled to his feet and sped away from the two as fast as he could. Kakuzu looked up at the slightly-dark sky and sighed. "Let's move out," he said, starting off in the direction of the village. "If we leave now, we can make it to the village before tomorrow morning."

Hidan sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Sheesh, can't a guy get a break around here? We've been walking nonstop for over five hours, and we've only stopped for like ten minutes."

Kakuzu stopped and looked back at his partner, glaring at him. "If you keep complaining, I _will_ kill you."

"Yea yea whatever" yawned Hidan. "Let's just get going before I fall asleep."

Kakuzu scoffed and continued on his way, Hidan following him closely behind.

* * *

**Well, I hope that you enjoyed the first chapter featuring Hidan and Kakuzu. I've been a little busy with my other story, "Changing History, Unchanging Heart," so I couldn't work on this story until like around a week ago. Anyways, this little "Arc" is going to take up around three chapters, so I'll try to make it as fun as possible for you guys! Let me know what you guys thought by leaving a review. If you have any complaints, that's fine too.**

**Also, I always planned on making a couple of chapters where a pair in the Akatsuki goes off on a mission, but after reading "The Subordinate" by Hurlstien, I decided to make the pair Hidan and Kaku****zu. "The Subordinate" is a really fun story, and I encourage everyone to go and check it out!**


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